80-Year-Old Man’s Body Kept in Freezer for Nearly Four Years in Mumbai

MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 30: In a bizarre incident, the body of an 80-year-old man was allegedly kept in a freezer at a polyclinic in Mumbai’s Malad East for nearly four years following his death in 2022, police said.

The matter came to light after residents complained of a foul smell emanating from the building, which had reportedly grown increasingly strong over time. Acting on the complaints, police inspected the premises and found the elderly man’s body inside a freezer.

According to police, the man had died of natural causes in 2022. His family, reportedly devastated by his sudden death, decided against performing his last rites and instead explored the possibility of preserving his body through cryonics.

The family allegedly researched cryonics on the internet and contacted a specialised organisation in the United States, hoping to preserve the body until future medical technology could potentially make revival possible. They reportedly began completing the necessary formalities for transporting the body to the US.

Cryonics involves preserving a human body at extremely low temperatures, generally using liquid nitrogen at around minus 196 degrees Celsius. The reported cost of cryonics preservation in the US can range from about USD 28,000 to USD 45,000, or roughly Rs 25 lakh to Rs 40 lakh, depending on the services and preservation arrangements.

Police said the body was allegedly kept in a specialised freezer at a clinic in Malad East. The clinic had reportedly remained closed for about a month for renovation. Neither the principal owner of the clinic nor the local police had allegedly been informed about the presence of the body.

Following the discovery, the Kurar police recorded statements from the deceased’s family members, the clinic management and the owner of the premises.

Police are now examining the legal aspects of keeping a human body in a freezer for several years without informing the authorities or obtaining the required permissions. Legal advice is also being sought to determine whether the preservation and storage of the body violated any existing laws.