On Friday morning, the ex-service man's son came to the Bangalore Baptist Hospital in Hebbal to collect his father's body and was shocked to find that some one else had alrea¬dy taken the body and even cremated it. Hospital authorities and the police say that it was a case of mistaken identity which had led to the goof-up.
Sohanlal, 82, a retired lieutenant colonel and resident of Yelahanka New Town was admitted to the hospital for diabetes on December 18 and he died on December 24. Venkatraju, 78, a resident of Vinayakanagar, Hebbal, was brought to the hospital on December 20 and was declared brought dead by doctors.
According to a doctor, both the families requested the hospital authorities to keep the bodies in the mortuary as their relatives staying in different parts of the country wanted to attend the funeral and it would take time.
Venkatraju's sons and family members came to the hospital on December 25. The attendant at the mortuary showed them the body of Sohanlal as he thought it was that of Venkatraju. But, Venkataraju's kin who took home the body did not realise that it was not of their family head. They completed the rituals and cremated the body at a crematorium in Hebbal.
Sohanlal's family members who came to collect his body on Thursday told the morturay staff that it was not his body.
The attendant was shocked as there was no other body in the freezer.
Sohanlal's son A K?Ahuja immediately informed the doctor about the goof-up. The hospital staff then contacted Venkataraju's family and requested them to rush to the hospital.
Venkataraju's family members too were shocked on learning about the blunder.
Ahuja even approached the Hebbal police.
“We do not know how the family of Venkatraju could not identify their own father's body despite giving a foam bath to the body. None of those who attended the funeral realised the mistake,” a police officer said.
As a last resort, the ashes of Sohanlal were handed over to his family members. Venkatraju's body will be handed over to his kin after consulting senior police officers, added the local police.
George Wilson, in-charge of the mortuary said Venkataraju and Sohanlal looked almost identical. Their bodies had shrunk after they were kept in the freezer.
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