Dubai: The identity of a man who was found suffering from amnesia last August has been unveiled by the Criminal Investigation Department of Dubai Police.
The man, who was recently identified as Andrea Pecora, was found in severe exhaustion on the beach facing Palm Island and had no identification documents. He spoke a mix of Italian and Greek and could not recall any information about his identity.
Lieutenant Colonel Ahmad Humaid Al Merri, director of the Criminal Investigation Section at CID, said police found Pecora lying on the beach suffering from fatigue after swimming and was given first aid.
"When he couldn't provide any useful information, policemen suspected that his memory was affected, which was later proved by a specialist doctor, and we had no information about his identity," Al Merri said
A team was tasked with following up on his case, while the man was referred to Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital where he was provided medical care.
When publishing the man's pictures in Arabic and English newspapers yielded no results, the team sent his fingerprints and DNA samples to Interpol, but he remained unidentified.
"Finally, on April 12, the man remembered that his name was Andrea Pecora, an Italian national, and that he had entered Dubai on a visit visa through Dubai International Airport," Al Merri said.
No identification
Pecora stayed in a hotel in Muraqqabat after entering Dubai. He left his personal belongings in a taxi but there were no identification documents. His passport photocopy was found at the hotel.
Pecora had told his family that he was visiting an African country, from where he travelled to Dubai without informing anyone.
Dubai Police informed Pecora's family and brought his brother to the UAE to take him back home.
