THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The funeral of the 40-year-old woman, who was found dead at her house in Perumbazhuthoor under mysterious circumstances, has been put on hold amid allegations that she was trapped by the organ trade mafia. Sandhya, whose body was found on Saturday, had recently recovered from Covid-19. According to the Neyyattinkara police, the autopsy reports have confirmed that the death was due to Covid-related issues. However, a detailed report on her internal organs is awaited.
The funeral was scheduled to be held on Thursday with the Covid protocol in place. However, the Neyyattinkara municipality officials could not claim the body from the Medical College mortuary for cremation on the day, as the relative who accompanied them refused to identify the body. “We had collected the token to claim the body. A family member of the deceased was with us. But then, filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, who is Sandhya’s cousin, contacted us to say that if we accepted the body, we should be able to confirm if a postmortem was carried out. We are not experts and had no means to confirm the same. We asked the relative who had accompanied us if he wanted to proceed, and he refused. We then cancelled the pass. We had made all arrangements for the funeral at a crematorium in Maranalloor,” said a health official with the municipality.
It was Sanal Kumar who first raised suspicions regarding Sandhya’s death, pointing out that she was perfectly healthy just a day before her death. Thiruvananthapuram Rural SP B Ashokan said investigation was under way. “We have not received any other complaint on the matter. We will investigate all angles involved. The family is in possession of all the relevant documents for donation. However, detailed investigations will be carried out,” he said.
According to Medical College Superintendent Dr M S Sharmad, the hospital had completed all procedures before handing over the body to the police. “Now it is up to the police and the relatives to decide what should be done next,” he said.
Aster Medcity calls allegations baseless
In a press note slamming the claim that Sandhya’s death was linked to the liver donation procedure she underwent at Aster Medcity in 2018, the hospital called the allegations raised by director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan on his Facebook post “misleading and devoid of facts”.
“According to reports, she had died due to Covid-related issues. It is unfortunate that they are pointing the finger of suspicion at the liver donated by Sandhya on her own accord in 2018 to save the life of her friend’s brother.
She donated the liver after following all procedures related to live organ donations, only after receiving the nod from the authorisation panel under the state government. Sandhya and her daughter had visited Aster Medcity on September 28, 2018, to convey her willingness to donate the liver,” said the hospital.
The hospital authorities said Sandhya did not have any heart disease as claimed in the FB post, and that they had no knowledge of the `10 lakh she supposedly received to donate the organ. Aster Medcity was not part of any such dealings, if there were any, the hospital said.