In Korba, Chhattisgarh, police discovered a body, prompting a family to arrive at the station. They identified the deceased as their 27-year-old son, Hariom Vaishnav, who had disappeared four days prior during a visit to his in-laws’ home. The body bore a tattoo of the letter ‘R’ and matched their son’s build. Convinced of the identification, the family took the body home and began funeral preparations. However, a knock at the door changed everything. Standing before them was Hariom Vaishnav, alive and well. Initially, the neighborhood residents, startled by the sight, reacted with fear, believing they were seeing a ghost. The truth, however, brought relief and astonishment. The incident took place in the Visrampur Gevra area of the Kusmunda police station. Hariom, who was married and whose in-laws resided in the Darri area, had gone missing without a trace during a family trip four days before. The family had been searching for him, and a missing person report had been filed with the Darri police.
Subsequently, a body was found in the Ahiran River in Danganiya, under the Bankimogora police station. Based on the missing person report, Hariom’s family was called to identify the body. They identified the corpse by its build and the ‘R’ tattoo on its hand. The body was confirmed to be Hariom’s. Due to the time spent in the water, the body was severely bloated, making facial recognition difficult. After legal procedures, the police sent the body for a post-mortem examination. The body was then handed over to the family for the funeral. But, around midnight, as the family was making funeral arrangements, Hariom returned home alive. This led to a flurry of confusion, as the family grappled with the identity of the corpse. The police were informed, and the Kusmunda police notified the Bankimogora police, as the body had been found in that jurisdiction. The body was moved to a local hospital mortuary, and the police are now faced with the challenge of identifying the deceased.