HARIDWAR: The body of a 40-year-old research scholar from IIT Roorkee was recovered from the Ganga canal in the Manglaur Kotwali area here, police said on Monday.
Mohit, a sixth-semester student in the Electronics and Communication Engineering department, had been missing from the institute campus for the past three to four days, the police said.
SP Rural Shekhar Chand Suyal told PTI that the deceased was a resident of Nainital.
"The police received information about a body in the Ganga canal at Asafnagar Jhal on Sunday night. Identification confirmed he was a research scholar at IIT," Suyal said.
The SP added that, prima facie, the cause of death appears to be suicide, as no injury marks or signs of struggle were found on the body.
Police searched the student's hostel room and recovered a notebook containing entries that investigators suspect may be a suicide note.
The deceased's family members have not levelled any allegations regarding the death so far, though police are investigating all possible angles.
SP Suyal noted that police had no prior information regarding the student being missing, as no report was lodged by the institute or any other party.
IIT Roorkee media cell in-charge Sonika Singh said it is common for students to leave the hostel for three to four days for outings.
"No one was aware that he was missing, and the family had not filed any complaint," Singh told PTI.
In an official statement, IIT Roorkee expressed grief over the death and stated that they received information about the incident from the police late Sunday night.
The institute added that the student was identified by his relatives, and the administration is fully cooperating with the police in the investigation.