Hyderabad: Old Nokia phone helps identify 10-year-old skeleton
What's the story
A man searching for his lost cricket ball in Hyderabad made a shocking discovery when he uncovered a human skeleton in an abandoned house. The skeletal remains discovered have been identified as Ameer Khan, who is believed to have died a decade ago. The identification was made possible through an old Nokia phone found at the site. Ameer was one of the 10 children of one Muneer Khan. He lived alone in the Nampally house while his siblings moved away.
Crime scene
How the remains were discovered
Ameer's remains were found on Monday when a video shot by the local resident, who entered the house to fetch a cricket ball that had fallen inside, surfaced. The video shows the skeleton lying on its stomach in what appears to be a kitchen. Utensils were strewn around the remains, indicating it had been a living space.
Twitter Post
Social media post on the skeleton's discovery
Human Skeleton Found in Abandoned House in Nampally, Hyderabad
— Rini Nus (@rininus88) July 14, 2025
What kind of world are we living in?
A skeleton lay in a locked house near Nampally Market... untouched, unnoticed, for 7 long years!!
It took a Facebook video by a boy who went to get his cricket ball to uncover… pic.twitter.com/XOlVobVOlU
Phone evidence
Identification through repaired phone
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kishan Kumar confirmed that the remains belonged to Ameer. The identification was made possible after they repaired an old Nokia phone found at the site. The phone's log revealed 84 missed calls from 2015, confirming the time frame of Ameer's death. "The man was probably about 50, single and possibly mentally disturbed," ACP Kumar said, adding there were no signs of struggle or blood marks indicating a natural death.
Additional evidence
Demonetized currency notes, personal items found at scene
Demonetized currency notes were also discovered under a pillow in the house, further supporting the timeline of Ameer's death before the 2016 demonetization. Shadab, Ameer's younger brother, identified personal items such as a finger ring and shorts found on the skeletal remains. A CLUES team visited the scene to collect samples for further examination. The human remains have been sent to the mortuary for an expert examination to confirm their identity, although foul play has been ruled out.