Mahdi Mohammed, a 25-year-old university student from Kalar whose body was found in the Sirwan River after a week-long search.
Body of missing student found in Sirwan River after weeklong search
KALAR — The body of Mahdi Mohammed, a 25-year-old university student missing for seven days, was recovered Thursday from the Sirwan River near the village of Kani Masi in Sirwan district, local rescuers and police said.
Zana Ghawas, a diver who joined the search effort, told 964media that “the body of Mahdi Mohammed was found in the Sirwan River at around 03:00 in the afternoon.” He said residents in the area helped retrieve the body before it was transferred to the Kalar forensic department.
Kalar police said the remains showed no external injuries. Police director Omed Majid told 964media that “the body has been sent for forensic examination, but there are no signs of bullets, knives, or injuries on the body.” He said doctors “decided to take X-rays to make sure whether there are any internal fractures.”
Majid said an incident report has been filed and investigators are reviewing the circumstances of the case.
Salah Salam, a volunteer from Kalar district, said he located the remains after returning to the river on Thursday. “A little more than two kilometers away, I found the body,” he said. Salam said the remains were in “the middle of the Sirwan River, in a narrow spot,” adding that “there were no signs of torture.”
Mahdi, a fourth-year physics student at the University of Garmian, left his home in Kelari Kon on Sunday evening, Nov. 16, after receiving a phone call and did not return. His father, Mohammed Khali, told 964media earlier that surveillance footage led police and relatives to his son’s abandoned motorcycle under the Gerdagozina bridge. “What appeared in the cameras is that my son was by himself until reaching that place. No one was with him,” he said. Khali said the motorcycle showed no signs of an accident and that his son’s phone was switched off.
The disappearance drew widespread public attention in Kalar district, where volunteers and local rescuers assisted search teams. Mahdi’s body was found near a water project not far from where his motorcycle was discovered.