JAMMU, July 14: In a bizarre case of mistaken identity, the family of a missing security guard from Sohanjana area of Jammu district almost took home the body of an unidentified man for last rites after believing it was their son, whose facial features they claimed closely resembled those of the deceased.
Officials said Vishal Kumar, 27, a resident of Sohanjana and employed as a security guard at a factory in Bari Brahamana, had gone missing nearly five days ago after leaving for work.
They said his family searched him everywhere, including the factory he worked in, but couldn’t trace his whereabouts.
“His phone was also switched off,” they said.
Later, they said, the police asked the family to visit the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu mortuary to identify an unidentified body recovered from the Bari Brahamana area itself around five days back.
The family members of the missing security guard claimed since the deceased bore an uncanny resemblance to Vishal, they identified the body as his.
After the post-mortem, they completed the formalities and were taking the body home when they received a phone call from Vishal, who told them he was alive.
Vishal later told his family members that his phone had developed a technical fault and remained switched off for several days.
He even claimed that he worked both in day and night shifts in the factory during the last 4-5 days owing to which his family might not have spotted him inside the factory.
He said after a friend informed him that news of his death was spreading, he got the phone repaired and immediately contacted his family.
Following the dramatic turn of events, the unidentified body was taken back to the GMC Jammu mortuary.
Meanwhile, police have launched efforts to establish the identity of the deceased.
