Mystery over body found in canal with ‘symbol’ tattooed on hand

We are appealing to the public to help identify a man whose body was found in a Smethwick canal. The body of a man was discovered in Birmingham canal, between Raboe Lane and Bridge Street in Smethwick, at around 3pm on Saturday 30 November last year. Ever since he was discovered, we?ve been working hard to identify him. His body had no injuries and there is no evidence of any third party involvement. However, despite carrying out extensive enquiries, the man has not yet been identified. The man is described as Asian, around 50 to 60 years old, of medium build, and had black hair. Of note, he had a tattoo on his right hand similar to the Sikh symbol of 'Ek Onkar'. We have linked in with the local community including the Gurdwara nearest to the location but we haven't been able to identify him. We are appealing to the public to try and provide us with any information which may lead to his identification. The man's body is being held by the coroner before it will be released for a funeral. Anyone who can help with our investigation or may have any information, no matter how small, is encourage to contact us. You can either do so via Live Chat on our website, or by calling 101, quoting log 2488 of 30 November.
The man was found in a canal without any injuries (Picture: Google)

Detectives have been left stumped as they struggle to identify a body found in a canal five months ago.

The body of a man was found in a canal in the Smethwick area of Birmingham on the afternoon of November 30 last year.

Police say they’ve been working hard to try and identify the man, thought to be around 50 to 60 years old, but haven’t figured out who he is ‘despite carrying out extensive enquiries’.

His body had no injuries and the force say there’s no evidence of third party involvement with his death.

The man was described as Asian, of medium build with black hair.

Police say he had a tattoo on his right hand similar to the Sikh symbol of ‘Ek Onkar’ – but despite having spoken to the local Gurdwara they still haven’t been able to identify him.

What is the Ek Onkar Sikh symbol?

AFT2KP Ek onkar
The man had a Ek Onkar symbol tattooed on his hand (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo)

Ek Onkar translates to ‘there is only one god’ and it is a fundamental phrase in Sikhism.

It’s the first line of the Mool Mantar – the Sikh statement of belief which forms the basis of the entire religion and their beliefs about Waheguru, their name for god.

‘Ek’ is not actually a word, but the Punjabi symbol for the number one

The Mool Mantar is the opening text of the Guru Granth Sahib, the most important Sikh holy book.

His body is currently being held by the coroner before it is released for a funeral.

West Midlands Police are appealing to the public in the hope someone can identify the man.

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