Family Cremates Missing Son, Holds Memorial; Days Later Finds Him Alive in Punjab Jail
A family in Punjab’s Kapurthala district, who spent weeks grieving and performed the final rites for their missing son, made a startling discovery after learning he was alive and serving time in a local prison.
A family in Punjab’s Kapurthala district, who spent weeks grieving and performed the final rites for their missing son, made a startling discovery after learning he was alive and serving time in a local prison.
Ravi Kumar, 35, a resident of Kadupur village, went missing on August 5. Following an unsuccessful search, his father and brother filed a missing person report with the Kapurthala City police on August 11. Police showed the family photographs of a highly decomposed body recently recovered near Kanjli Road. Due to the advanced state of decomposition, the family identified the remains as Kumar's based primarily on the clothing. Odisha: Man Returns Home a Month After Family Cremates Body Mistakenly Identified As His.
The unidentified body was handed over to the family, who cremated the remains on August 13 and held a traditional memorial service (Bhog) on August 15.
The situation took an unexpected turn on September 2 when Kapurthala Central Jail officials phoned the family to notify them that Kumar was lodged in their facility. He had been arrested on August 5 by the Jalandhar Commissionerate Police on charges related to vagrancy and transferred to the Kapurthala jail the same evening. Because the arrest involved minor, bailable offenses, prison authorities eventually reached out after noticing no one had come to post bail. The family visited the jail the following day and confirmed Kumar's identity. Indore Shocker: 4-Year-Old Boy Burnt Alive After Car Catches Fire Near Shell City In Madhya Pradesh.
The case has raised questions regarding identity verification procedures. Senior police officials, including Kapurthala Deputy Superintendent of Police Sheetal Singh, stated that officers followed standard procedures for unclaimed bodies and relied on the family's identification of the clothing. No DNA samples were collected during the initial autopsy because the family had formally claimed the remains.
Authorities have launched a fresh investigation to establish the identity of the individual who was cremated and to review technical data around the location where the body was discovered.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 06, 2026 01:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
