Parents of Thames mystery death teenager accuse Met of racism

Parents of Krishna Chummun, the London teenager whose body was pulled from the Thames in October 2015, have asked the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to investigate the Metropolitan Police's handling of the case involving their son. The Chummuns say they want a murder investigation launched and accused the Met of racism in the mishandling of the case.

Krishna, 19, went missing on August 7, 2015, but no missing persons appeal was issued by the Met until November – a month after Krishna's body was found. His body then lay unidentified in a morgue after police failed to make a match against the missing person's database and the family remained unaware of his death for 11 weeks after the recovery of their son's body.

Krishna's father, Pradeep Chummun, was critical of the Met, claiming it was incompetent, and said that he believes the mishandling of the investigation into his son's disappearance and death came as a result of racism in the force.

Speaking to Sky News he said: "All this time the body was just sitting there. They were lazy. This shows typical lazy, laid back inefficient policing. The way the case has been handled there has been a lot of negligence which I'm sure is because of our ethnicity. From day one they have been negative showing they are not capable."

An inquest into Krishna's death returned an open verdict, with presiding coroner Dr William Dolman saying there was insufficient evidence to give another verdict. He admitted: "Let us be frank, there are many gaps, we don't know exactly when he ended up in the water or how."

However, despite some indication that their son's death was as a result of suicide, Krishna's parents say the Met failed to fully investigate lines of inquiry and a murder investigation should be opened.

Medhi Chummun, Krishna's mother, said: "I want a murder inquiry opened for my son. At least he will find peace after death. We need closure. Every day is hard to survive. Every day is a battle for us."

Krishna was believed to have argued with his girlfriend and sent her a text saying he would jump off London Bridge in a bid to kill himself shortly before his disappearance – information which the Chummuns say the police failed to act on.

According to evidence heard at his inquest, he had also taken an overdose of painkillers a few weeks before.

Though Mr and Mrs Chummun say police also ignored witness accounts of Krishna being chased after returning from university one day, or from a neighbour, who has since died, that claimed she saw the teenager being attacked and abducted on the same night he disappeared.

The Chummuns have asked the police watchdog, the IPCC, to investigate several complaints. Mr Chummun said: "I want justice for my son.

"The only way to get justice is to open a murder investigation by an independent police force rather than the Met. Simple. I lost my son. I don't think that's a lot to ask."

The Metropolitan Police told Sky News it could not comment on the case while it was the subject of an ongoing investigation.

In a post on its Facebook page the Karma Nirvana charity, which supports victims of honour crimes and forced marriages, said it had been supporting the Chummun family for the past year. In a video on its website, it says Krishna's parents believe his death to be linked to honour-based violence.

Reacting to the story on Twitter, BBC Asian Network DJ Bobby Friction, who is a patron for Karma Nirvana, highlighted the issue of male honour-based violence. He tweeted : "Please watch this report on Sky News today… honour based violence also has male victims."