Body of 67-year-old kept in Malad day care freezer for four years found after parcel reaches police

Police in Mumbai's Malad have recovered a body that had been kept hidden in a day care centre for the past four years. The body was cremated on Wednesday in the presence of family members. Questions remain over how the body got there and who kept it for four years.

It all began with a parcel. On Monday, a parcel was delivered to the Kurar police station. Several such parcels arrive at the station every day, so little attention was paid to it, and the unknown parcel was initially refused. The man who had received the address through Rapido then took it to a day care centre in Konkanipada, Malad. There he showed the parcel to the person whose name the address carried. The day care centre had been shut for several months, so that person informed Kurar police.

Police reached the spot, opened the parcel and read the information inside, and were stunned. Senior officers were informed, and a police team reached the spot by evening.

A police officer said the parcel carried information about a dead body kept at the day care centre. Police first called the owner of the centre. The owner has died, so the present operator, Dr Ahmed Syed, came. With his help the centre was unlocked and a deep freezer kept inside the clinic was opened. A strong stench filled the room, and the body of a 67-year-old man was found in one of the freezers.

After questioning Dr Syed, police called the man's family members and questioned them as well. According to sources, the man, who lived in Versova, was suffering from cancer and kidney failure. He died in June 2022. The body was kept at home for a few days, but residents of the housing society objected. The children then decided to keep the body at the day care centre in Konkanipada, Malad, and Dr Syed was contacted for this.

It is being said that Dr Syed was paid Rs 1,30,000 every month to preserve the father's body. At that rate, the children have spent more than Rs 50 lakh over the past four years on keeping the body.

The reason for keeping the body has also come to light. The man has two daughters and a son. A scientist told the daughter living in the United States that a dead person can be brought back to life if the body is preserved. In scientific terms this is called cryonics. In the United States, the bodies of 550 people around the world have been preserved by cryonics. The daughter had an emotional bond with her father, so she spoke to her sister and brother in India and the body was placed in the freezer.

According to information received, at around 3 am on Tuesday the body was taken out of the freezer under security arrangements and sent to a mortuary centre in Byculla. The last rites were held there on Wednesday in the presence of the family. The daughter in the United States watched the cremation on a video call.

Meanwhile, the four years of storage have left a stench in the area. Local residents have demanded that the place be declared a mortuary. They say fear grips them when they pass the spot at night.