Lankan's body found in sea off Jebel Ali?

Dubai Police are trying to figure out whether a body that washed ashore near Palm Jebel Ali last week is that of a missing Sri Lankan man.

The Sri Lankan man, Sampath, had gone missing in the sea recently, and remains traceless.

According to the Sri Lankan Consulate in Dubai, Sampath and the captain of the ship, Sakala Suri, had gone together to the sea on a yacht from Palm Jebel Ali on December 15 and had a few drinks on board.

"The captain was on the top deck steering the ship and Sampath was below, probably near the railings. When the yacht reached the shore, he came down and found Sampath missing even though all his belongings were intact. Dubai Police have now detained the captain and we'll be visiting him this week," said an official from the consulate.

The captain has been detained on the charges of consuming alcohol and was referred to the Dubai Public Prosecution last week. Confirming the incident, Dubai Police officials told Khaleej Times, "The captain reported to the Port Police Station that he and his friend had gone together to Palm Jebel Ali. He also said that for one and a half hours they kept moving from one port to another.

The official added that last Friday, a body had been found ashore by the coastal guard near Palm Jebel Ali. As the body had been under water for three days, it was decomposed and could not be identified.

The police have sent the body to the General Department of Forensic Medicine to conduct a DNA test, the results of which are awaited.