NEW DELHI: In a case of mistaken identity in connection with the Mundka fire tragedy, the Delhi Police, based on DNA reports, have said that one of the victim’s body was earlier “mistakenly” handed over to another family.
The “error” came into light a month after the Mundka fire in which 27 people lost their lives. The body of the victim Sweety was mistakenly sent to another victim named Ranju Devi’s family who conducted the final rites of the body.
Both the victims worked as helpers at the factory in Outer Delhi, said the police. According to police, soon after the fire on May 13, eight bodies were identified based on facial features, jewellery and clothes.
“Sweety’s body was mistakenly identified as Ranju’s because both the women were of the same age and had identical jewellery and clothes on them,” said DCP (Outer).
According to the Medical Superintendent of Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, Dr SK Arora, the relatives were given the body after they identified it. “Such errors are humane and it is nobody’s fault,” he added.
One of the eight bodies was earlier tagged as that of a victim named Ranju Devi. However, on Thursday, the police found that Ranju’s body was among the six bodies of the fire victims at a mortuary and the one cremated by her family was of a woman named Sweety.
According to DCP (Outer), the police are now waiting for an official confirmation from the forensic science laboratory. They have also given the information of mistaken identity to Sweety’s family, who had earlier claimed one of the six bodies at the mortuary as hers.
“The DNA samples of seven families matched, Ranju’s sample didn’t match with her son. We then asked Ranju’s parents and other family members to give blood samples,” said DCP (Outer) Sameer Sharma.
On Thursday, the police found that Ranju’s samples didn’t match with any of her relatives and that one of the six bodies at the mortuary is of Ranju’s. “We think Sweety’s body was cremated by Ranju’s family. We are waiting for a final nod from the FSL team and will inform the families,” added the DCP.