After a mix-up of bodies in Saudi Arabia, the body of Shaji Rajan finally reached his house at Vallikunnam here on Friday.
According to family members, the body of Shaji (50) who died due to a heart attack in Dammam got mixed up with that of one Javid Ahmed Idris (45) of Chandauli in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. As per reports, the agency appointed by the Indian Embassy to handle the bodies in the West Asian country had mistakenly flown Shaji’s body to Delhi and that of Javid to Thiruvananthapuram earlier.
The body, which reached Thiruvananthapuram on September 30, was then handed over to the relatives of Shaji. The family cremated the body on the same day. "Shaji died on July 18. As his passport had expired, it took a while for repatriation. After officials of the embassy and the agency told the family members that the body was in a decomposed state, they did not open the coffin and cremated it," said G. Rajeevkumar, member, Vallikunnam grama panchayat.
The mix-up came to light after Javid’s family opened the coffin they were given. They informed the authorities about the mix-up and Shaji’s body was sent to Vallikunnam from Chandauli on an ambulance. His body was cremated on Friday.
Meanwhile, people from Chandauli are on their way to Vallikunnam to collect the cremains of Javid.
