'Dead' Man Returns Home Three Days After His 'Burial'; Family Shocked

A 52-year-old man, presumed dead, walked into his family home three days after his "burial," leaving his family shocked. Police said the man had gone missing for two months before his "body" was found lying in a nearby bus station.

Police said Moorthy, a daily wage laborer, went missing from his home in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu two months ago, reported The New Indian Express.

Moorthy had reportedly left home to gather sugarcane but failed to return home even after days. Though the family began a search, there was no sign of Moorthy. He did not own a mobile phone nor was he accompanied by anyone in his work.

On March 31, an unidentified body was found near a local bus station. Though police registered a case, they could not identify the man. A man, who saw the body at the station, believed it bore some resemblance to Moorthy. He alerted the man's family and Moorthy's 31-year-old son M Karthy was summoned to identify the body. Karthy "identified" the dead man as his father and the body was handed over to the family for burial after an autopsy.

However, to the shock of the family, Moorthy turned up at his home on April 4. The baffled family members immediately contacted the local police station and informed them about the mix-up. "We received a call from the family after Moorthy walked into his home. Karthi said that the dead person looked like his father and hence they had buried him. The person who was found dead near the station and the two had similar appearances," a senior police official told The Indian Express.

The officer added that Moorthy and the dead man "looked like twins" and even Moorthy's wife couldn't say the difference due to their uncanny resemblance. "Moorthy’s wife wept for two-three hours hugging the dead body. She thought it was her husband and wasn’t able to make out any difference," the officer said.

Police have now started the procedures to identify the dead man. They have exhumed the body in the presence of revenue officials. A fresh autopsy was conducted and a case of suspicious death has been registered.