Body mix-up case: Cops book mason for wrong identification

Three days after it came to light that a wrong body was handed over to a man, the Vashi police on Wednesday booked the man for not being able to identify his daughter’s body.

A sanitation worker of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) hospital, Vashi, was also booked.

After a 29-year-old labourer died and was taken to the hospital for a coronavirus test, his friend went to NMMC hospital on Saturday to collect the body after the test report came. But, the hospital authorities could not find the body. Two days later, the NMMC hospital learnt that the body was handed over to Dashrat Suryawanshi, a mason from Digha, thinking it to be his daughter’s.

Suryawanshi’s daughter died of jaundice on May 4 and he took her body to the NMMC hospital for a coronavirus test. Both the labourer and the girl had tested negative for Covid.

He claimed that the hospital staffers showed him the body from far and he thought it was his daughter’s and cremated it.

NMMC chief Annasaheb Misal said, “An inquiry has been initiated and I am waiting for the reports. Based on the reports, action will be taken.”

The police registered a first information report (FIR) against the two people.

Sanjeev Dhumal, senior police inspector, Vashi, said, “The case has been registered against sanitation staff from the morgue, Sunil Veljibhai Waghela, for being irresponsible, and Dashrat Suryawanshi for wrong identification of the body. Both are in their 40s and a case has been registered under section 297 of Indian Penal Code.”

“No arrest has been made. The investigation is still in the primary stage,” said Dhumal.