Meerut: Nearly three weeks after police cremated an unidentified body believing it to be Sushil Kumar, the 44-year-old was found alive—wandering confused through a busy crossing in Sambhal. The startling discovery has forced authorities to reopen a murder investigation they thought was closed and to now identify the real victim whose body was cremated following an incorrect identification.
Kumar, who has a history of petty thefts in Sambhal and on trains, had been estranged from his family for years. When a badly injured body was found by the roadside in Narayan Tola, Bahjoi, on December 24, his two brothers—called in from Delhi and Kashi in Uttarakhand—identified the deceased as Sushil Kumar based on a tattoo, body frame, and facial features. The skull had been crushed, and injuries suggested a violent assault. With no identification documents, fingerprint match, or DNA confirmation available, police relied on the family’s visual identification. A post-mortem was conducted, and the body was cremated, with the case recorded as murder.
The case took an unexpected turn after one of Kumar’s former associates, questioned during the investigation, told police he had seen Kumar alive after December 24. He later brought Kumar to the authorities. “The resemblance was so close that even we would not have doubted the family’s identification,” said Bahjoi SHO Sant Kumar. “The tattoo, the build, everything matched.”
Sambhal Additional SP Anukriti Sharma said the situation has left investigators in a serious bind. “Initially, the family was reluctant to even file an FIR and told us they had cut ties with him,” she said. “We eventually persuaded them to register a murder case, which allowed the investigation to begin. But now the body is gone, and we cannot conduct a DNA test to establish the victim’s identity.”
Police confirmed that Kumar has been questioned but is not a suspect in the case. He has made no formal statement since being found. His family has continued to distance itself. “For us, he ceased to exist a long time ago,” said one relative. “We want nothing to do with him.”
Authorities are now working to trace the true identity of the deceased and revive the stalled murder investigation.
