Jharkhand family buries wrong body after mistaken identity; the missing person returns alive

Days after Vishram Munda went missing, his family performed the last rites only to see him return home in Jharkhand’s Khunti district after staying some 70 km away in Ramgarh.

Officials said on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) that the family-led funeral was the result of them mistakenly identifying the body found by police as that of Munda.

Subdivision Police Officer (SDPO) Khunti Varun Rajak told the Press Trust of India (PTI) on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) that 45-year-old Munda, a native of Patratoli village, went missing on May 10 after leaving home to attend a wedding.

“His family searched extensively but could not trace him. A day later, the police fished out an unidentified body from the drain. After getting information, the relatives reached Khunti Sadar Hospital and identified the body as that of Munda,” said a police officer.

“The body height, figure and face closely resembled Munda and the family members as well as the villagers took the body as that of a missing person,” police said. After completing the legal formalities, the police handed over the body to the family for last rites and the body was buried as per tribal rituals.

“A few days after the funeral, Munda suddenly arrived at his daughter’s rented house in Khunti and took his relatives by surprise. He told his family members that he had gone to Ramgarh without informing anyone,” said a police officer.

“Police have now started the process of exhuming the body to conduct a DNA test to properly identify the dead,” the officer added.

Published – 21 May 2026 12:55 PM IST