Kerala family shocked after receiving wrong embalmed body from Mumbai; funeral postponed

Piravom: The family and relatives were left shocked after the embalmed body sent from Mumbai turned out to be that of another person. Locals who had gathered to pay their last respects were stunned on hearing the news. The funeral, scheduled for Tuesday evening at the Parish cemetery, had to be postponed after the mix-up came to light when the coffin was opened at the deceased’s home in Elanji Perumpadavam.

The family immediately informed the police and contacted the agency that had transported the body. The body was taken to Piravom Taluk Hospital for verification. By noon, officials from the agency reached Piravom and, in the presence of the police, took the body back to Mumbai.

The deceased, George K Iype (59) of Karleth, Perumpadavam, Elanji, was a businessman based in Mumbai, living there with his wife Shiny and son Ebin. George, who had been under treatment for an illness for several months, was recently admitted to a hospital in Nashik after his condition worsened. He passed away early on October 20 while undergoing treatment.

George’s brother, Joy K Iype, reached Nashik from Kerala after hearing about his deteriorating condition. The embalming and transportation of the body were entrusted to a Mumbai-based agency, according to relatives. The family returned to Kerala with the body on October 21 morning, traveling by the same flight.

Arriving at Nedumbassery airport around 7 am, the family took the body to a private hospital in Piravom for dressing before proceeding to their home in Perumpadavam. The coffin was not opened at that time. It was only around 10 am, after the coffin was opened at home, that George’s wife, son, and close relatives realised the body was not his.

The body that was supposed to be sent on Thursday was that of Pathanamthitta native George, which was mistakenly received. The agency authorities explained that the mix-up occurred because both deceased persons had the same name. The body of George K Iype was brought to his house in Perumpadav through Nedumbassery around 8 pm. The funeral will be held on Wednesday at 11 am at St. George Orthodox Church cemetery in Perumpadav, following prayers at the house at 10 a.m.