Kanpur: A man whose body was kept by his family members for over one and a half year thinking he was in coma has died, police has comfirmed corroborating the claim made by the local authorities. The incident came to light on September 23 in Rawatpur police station area of Kanpur city in Uttar Pradesh.
Vimlesh Kumar was an employee of the Income Tax(IT) department and died of 'Covid-19' in April last year. However his body was kept in the house as the family believed he was in a state of coma. The incident came to light when a team from the state health department reached their house. The I-T department informed them that the employee, Vimlesh Kumar, had not been attending office for the past one and half years, and asked them to ascertain his whereabouts.
Also read: Kanpur: Family keeps man’s body in house for 18 months believing him 'to be in coma'
A team was then formed by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to look into the matter. According to the CMO, O P Gautam "the family members continued to insist that Kumar was alive and in a coma when the medical team reached their home and told them that he had been dead for a long time. The family had also been issued a death certificate by Moti hospital in the city which dates back to April 21 last year."
ADCP West Lakhan Singh said that they had confirmed through a medical team that the man had indeed died over a year and half ago. He said that the deceased's brother Dinesh revealed during investigation of the case that Vimlesh fell ill in April last year and became unconscious after a few days. Considering him dead, preparations were made to perform his last rites.
However while taking him for cremation, Dinesh said that they felt a heart-beat in Vimlesh. “When I looked at the pulse oximeter, it showed that he was breathing,” he said. ADCP West Lakhan Singh, who is investigating the case, reached the house of the deceased Vimlesh late on Wednesday evening and interrogated the relatives for several hours after which the revelations were made.
Joint Commissioner of Police Anand Prakash Tiwari has entrusted the investigation of this matter to the ADCP and has asked him to submit the report in a week. Dinesh said that after they noticed his brother breathing, they took him to the hospital, “but no doctor was ready for treatment”. The family kept the dead body at home in an air conditioned room and used to bathe Vimlesh with Gangajal every day. When the matter was brought to the police, it was confirmed in the investigation report of the doctors that Vimlesh had died a year and a half ago.
