80-Year-Old Man’s Body Kept in Mumbai Clinic Freezer For 4 Years, Police Baffled

The discovery of an 80-year-old man’s body kept inside a freezer at a clinic in Mumbai’s Malad for nearly four years has left police investigating a legally complex case. The man’s family allegedly arranged for his body to be preserved at the clinic after his death in 2022, saying they hoped to eventually transport it to a cryonics facility in the United States. Mumbai Police are now consulting experts to determine whether such preservation is legally permissible in India and, if so, how long a body can be kept under such conditions.

Kurar police visited the polyclinic on Monday night after receiving a tip-off and found the elderly man’s body inside a freezer. The clinic had reportedly remained closed for about a month because of renovation work.

Police subsequently contacted the man’s family, which includes his elderly wife and adult children. The family produced documents indicating that the man had died of natural causes in 2022.

According to the children, they were deeply affected by his death and wanted to preserve his body for as long as possible. They said they researched the possibility online and came across organisations in the US that provide cryonics services.

Cryonics involves preserving people who have been legally declared dead at extremely low temperatures, generally using liquid nitrogen, with the hope that future medical advances could potentially restore them. While the cryopreservation of cells, tissues and embryos is an established scientific practice, cryonics involving entire human bodies remains experimental and is not accepted as established medical practice by mainstream scientists.

The family reportedly began communicating with one such US-based organisation to explore whether the body could eventually be transported there. They also sought legal advice in India regarding the possibility of preserving the body locally until arrangements could be made.

In the meantime, the body remained at the clinic. Neither the family nor the clinic management informed the local police about its presence.

Police learnt about the preserved body only after locals alerted them on Monday night. The property owner, who had rented the premises for clinic operations since 2022, also told investigators that he was unaware that a body had been kept inside.

The property owner said he and his family would visit the clinic to consult a doctor whenever anyone in the household fell ill.

Police recorded statements from the family members, clinic management and the property owner on Tuesday. Authorities have not registered any formal charges so far.

Police personnel have also been deployed at the clinic while the investigation continues.