THE family of a student who drowned after a night out are appealing to a mystery man caught on CCTV to come forward.

Souvik Pal, aged 18, was last seen outside the Warehouse Project on New Year’s Eve.

The Manchester Metropolitan University student had been ejected from the club because he was behaving aggressively and staff believed he had taken drugs, an inquest heard.

Twenty two days later his body was found by police divers in the Bridgewater Canal.

His family, who travelled from Bangalore for the inquest, now hope CCTV footage from the night will shed light on their son’s disappearance.

Officers investigating the case believe the images show Souvik walking away from the club with a mystery man.

They are seen crossing the bridge over the canal before one tries to climb up a railing. The CCTV shows only one of the two men returning back towards the Warehouse Project.

After the hearing at Trafford Magistrates Court, Souvik’s father Santanu Pal, said: “I appeal to this man and anyone who has any information about my son to come forward.It is very important to us to find out why we have lost our beloved son.”

Police say they have done all they can to find the man, but have not made the ‘poor quality’ images public.

The inquest also heard from friends of Souvik who were with him the night he went missing. They said he had been drinking vodka at his halls of residence on Cavendish Street before heading to the club.

Gemma Hale, a university friend, admitted she had been worried about Souvik attending the Warehouse Project. Souvik had taken one ‘bomb’ of ecstasy, where powder is wrapped in cigarette paper and swallowed, in the taxi. He then took a second ‘bomb’ while in the nightclub, the inquest heard.

At 10pm Souvik became separated from his friends and never saw him again.

Pathologist Naomi Carter concluded that the cause of death was drowning and that there were no marks to Souvik’s clothing and no physical injuries.

Recording an open verdict, coroner Joanne Kearsley said that although the drugs were ‘likely to have contributed to his behaviour’ they were not the cause of death.

She said: “Despite extensive investigation it can not be ascertained where or how he entered the water.”