Locals who heard cries from the van belonging to St Joseph Hospices on Edayamputhur main road, stopped the vehicle and confronted the driver, Rejesh (28). 

While he initially claimed that he was transporting vegetables, people who had gathered around the van insisted that he open the back door of the vehicle and were shocked to see a body inside the van. 

When questioned, Rejesh initially told the people that he was bringing the body from a government hospital. However, local residents became suspicious and informed the police. A police team from Salaivakkam station reached the spot and took custody of the van and driver. 

After initial inquiry, police said the driver was transporting the body from the St Joseph Hospices branch in Irumbuliyur to the Palleswaram branch along with the two inmates and vegetable bags. The corpse was that of Vijayakumar (70), an inmate of the Irumbuliyur branch, police said. 

Police added that the elderly woman Annammal from Tiruvallur was not happy to go from her existing place of residence to the new place.  “She started screaming for help. The other elderly person was identified as Selvaraj, a native of Dindigul,” a police official said.  When contacted, Kancheepuram Superintendent of Police Santhosh Hadimani said that Chennai police were checking the veracity of the driver’s claim.