Body of 12-year-old boy lies unclaimed for 4 months

The unidentified body of a 12-year-old boy has been lying unclaimed for over four months now in the mortuary of Cooper Hospital in western suburbs while the Mumbai police is trying hard to locate his parents. The boy’s body has now become the oldest among the more than 30 bodies lying at the mortuary since July.

The boy’s body was washed ashore on Juhu beach during the rainy season in July this year. After investigating all angles and based on the body’s post mortem report, the Juhu police has ruled out foul play and ascertained drowning as the cause of death.

The police has kept the decomposed body at the mortuary in the hope that his parents will come and claim it.

A source from Juhu police station said, “We tried every trick in the book to try and find his parents. But we have been unsuccessful till now. We are now contemplating disposing the body, as Cooper Hospital is unhappy with the decision of keeping the body there. They say take it to your home. We have taken photographs and his clothes, based on which he could be later identified by his parents.”

Police Surgeon, S.M. Patil, who is in charge of all the post mortem centres and mortuaries, said, “We have the cold storage now, so the bodies can be kept for a longer time. The rule on preserving the bodies is very clear. It is the investigating officer of the case who decides how long he wants to keep the body if the investigation so demands it. Usually, after a week’s time, we start intimating the police about the body lying at the mortuary and whether we are required to preserve it.”

A Cooper Hospital official said, “We have space to keep more bodies. For the time being we do not need to dispose the boy’s body. We hope the police finds his parents soon. But in the case of an emergency, with several bodies coming in, we may have to pressure the police to dispose it.”