Body of 78-year-old kept in freezer at Malad day-care centre for four years in hope of revival

A shocking case has come to light in Mumbai's Malad area. A family had the body of a 78-year-old man kept in a freezer for a full four years. The family hoped that science would one day be able to bring a dead person back to life. The body was kept at a day-care centre in Kokanipada, in Kurar village.

The matter came to light when a foul smell began to spread in the area. People informed the police, after which the whole matter emerged. The family was reportedly paying Rs 1.60 lakh every month to have the body preserved.

According to the information available, the elderly man died of cancer on June 9, 2022. His daughter lives in the United States and was deeply attached to her father. In the US, bodies are preserved at very low temperatures through cryonics. The family believed that as science advanced, such a person could be revived. With this thinking, the family took the help of this day-care centre in Malad to keep the body.

The police questioned the daughter of the deceased. She said the family had been devastated by her father's death and wanted to preserve his body for as long as possible. She searched for information on the internet and learnt about cryonics technology in the US.

Questions are also being raised about the functioning of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The BMC had sealed this day-care centre three months ago. The question is how officials failed to discover the body in the freezer then.

The family has handed the police the death certificate and documents issued by the BMC. Expert doctors from Cooper Hospital are being consulted to examine the condition of the body. Doctors too have been stunned by the case.

The police are also examining whether keeping a body in this manner is legal in India. Further action will be taken after the documents are scrutinised and a medical examination is carried out, it has been stated.