The authorities found the body of a 35-year-old man named Vimlesh from his home in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He had died during the Corona pandemic, some 18 months ago, but his family members refused to believe it and continued to hold the body in their possession, in the hope that he will come alive. He died on April 22, 2021.
Vimlesh was an employee of the Income-tax department attached to its office in Gujarat. The macabre incident came to light when his employer, the IT department to senior district officials in Kanpur sent a letter for investigation as Vimlesh was found to be absent for one-and-a-half years.
The death of Vimlesh was certified by the doctors of a private hospital on Birhana Road, Kanpur. However, the family members went to another hospital with the body, where the doctors
declared him brought dead.
Still, in the inexplicably firm belief that he was alive and would come back alive, the family members brought the body to their home at Income Tax Chauraha, Krishnapuri in the Rawatpur police station area of Kanpur. The officials found the body in a very bad condition, with the flesh dried up in the bones, lying on a wooden coat.
The family poured Gangajal on the body and told whosoever inquired that Vimlesh was under treatment as he has slipped into coma. When the health department team approached them, the family members refused to hand over the body. The body was dispatched to the Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital for medical examination, where doctors declared him dead once again. The body is shifted to the mortuary for post-mortem examination.
The Income Tax department in Gujarat, unable to receive a satisfactory reply from his family about the continued absence of Vimlesh, requested the Kanpur DM to help them. The DM asked the health department to conduct an investigation and submit a report. The chief medical officer (CMO) Alok Ranjan said, “ A three-member inquiry committee was constituted. The entire matter came to light when the team reached Vimlesh’s house .”
