A locked premises in Mumbai’s Malad East became the centre of a police investigation after residents began noticing a strong smell coming from inside. The building had been used as a daycare centre but had stopped functioning.
When police entered, they found a body inside a freezer.
The discovery led investigators back to June 2022, when the 78-year-old man had died. What happened to his body afterwards is now the focus of the inquiry. Police have said there was no initial indication of foul play in his death.
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The Story Goes Back To June 2022
According to the police, the elderly man had been suffering from cancer and died after a heart attack in June 2022.
His daughter, who is in her 40s and lives in Andheri West, obtained a death certificate from a doctor. Police said the death was recorded as natural.
Instead of carrying out the last rites, however, the family chose to preserve his body.
Police learnt that the daughter was deeply attached to her father and wanted to preserve his body for a long period. She also told investigators that the family had contacted an organisation in the US that provides body-preservation services.
The family was reportedly exploring the possibility of eventually moving the body abroad. They were also saving money and seeking legal advice about the process.
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So, How Did The Body End Up At A Daycare?
The body was kept at a premises in Malad East that had been used as a daycare centre.
The property was rented out by its landlord to a person identified as Abdul Rehman in early 2022. The premises were later handed over to another management, which operated a clinic there, according to the landlord.
The landlord told police that he did not know the body was being kept inside the premises.
The daycare centre had stopped functioning about a month before the discovery. The property was also being considered for redevelopment, which brought renewed attention to the premises.
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How Did It Come To Light?
The case came to light after residents noticed a strong odour coming from the locked premises.
As the smell became stronger, residents alerted the police.
Officers entered the centre and searched the premises. They eventually found the man’s body preserved inside a freezer.
This raised questions about how the body had remained there for nearly four years and who knew about the arrangement.
Police recorded statements from the landlord, daycare operators and members of the deceased man’s family.
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Why Did The Family Preserve Him?
The police investigation points to the daughter’s attachment to her father as one reason behind the decision.
According to The Indian Express report, the daughter wanted to preserve his body indefinitely. She had also contacted a US-based organisation that specialises in body preservation and was exploring the possibility of eventually shifting the body abroad.
Some reports have also cited claims about the family’s belief in rebirth and a hope of preserving the body for a possible future revival. However, these details have not been stated in the two primary reports supplied for this article, so they should be treated cautiously.
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Is This A Murder Case?
At this stage, police have not indicated that the man was murdered.
An officer quoted by The Indian Express said that while preserving a body for such a long period was unusual, there was nothing suspicious about the death. Police said the man had a death certificate and that his death was recorded as natural.
So, the unusual part of the case is not how the man died, but what happened to his body after his death.
What Legal Action Has Been Taken?
The Kurar Police are investigating the circumstances in which the body was preserved and kept at the premises.
Police have recorded statements from the landlord, the centre’s operators and the family. The daughter has appointed lawyers to represent her, according to NDTV.
Police are also examining the legal and familial aspects of the case.
The next step involves deciding what should happen to the body. Police told The Indian Express that the family would decide whether to conduct the last rites or hand over the body to the BMC after obtaining the required certificate and paying the applicable legal charges.
What Happens Next?
The investigation is still underway.
Police are looking into how the body was preserved, how it remained inside the premises for nearly four years and the circumstances surrounding the arrangement with the preservation organisation.
For now, the available reports establish that the man died in 2022, his death was considered natural, and his body was later preserved and stored at a Malad premises until its discovery in September 2026. Police have not reported evidence of foul play in his death.
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TL;DR | News At a Glance
Why was the body kept in a freezer?
A woman in Mumbai reportedly wanted to preserve her 78-year-old father’s body after his death in June 2022. Police said she was deeply attached to him and wanted to preserve the body for a long period.
Where was the body found?
Police found it inside a freezer at a former daycare centre in Malad East, Mumbai.
How was it discovered?
Residents noticed a strong smell coming from the locked premises and alerted the police.
Was the man murdered?
Police have said there was no indication of foul play and that his death was recorded as natural after a heart attack.
What happened after his death?
The family reportedly contacted a US-based organisation involved in body preservation and explored the possibility of eventually moving the body abroad.
What are the police doing now?
Kurar Police are examining how the body was preserved and stored, while recording statements from the family, landlord and centre operators.
What happens to the body now?
Police said the family will decide whether to conduct the last rites or hand the body over to the BMC after completing the required procedures.
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