Karnataka tribal family seek govt help to bring son's body from Ivory Coast

A 20-year-old tribal person from Heggadedevana Kote (HD Kote) in Karnataka's Mysuru district died of malaria in the Ivory Coast on Monday.

Family members in HD Kote are claiming that the hospital in the West African country is demanding Rs 10 lakh to ‘release’ the body.

The deceased has been identified as Efrayim, a resident of the Tiger-Black Hamlet and belongs to the ‘Hakki pikki’ tribe. Speaking to DH, his mother Manjula said her son had gone to the Ivory Coast a year ago to work as a body massager and sell 'medicinal oils'.

“Yesterday evening he made a video call and said that he was suffering from a fever and was going to the hospital. However, today morning his uncle, who was with him [in the Ivory Coast], called me and said he died minutes after administrating a high dose of injection,” his mother said.

She said the hospital authorities are demanding Rs 10 lakh to discharge him. “We don’t have sufficient money to even eke out two square meals a day. How can we arrange so much money,” she said.