The body of a 58-year-old man who died due to oral cancer was claimed by his family 22 years after he had purportedly left his home near Neyyattinkara.
The deceased, Venugopalan Nair, son of Rajappan Nair, from Parasuvaikkal, was found roaming in Sreekanteswaram by the volunteers of a non-governmental organisation, following which he was admitted to the General Hospital nearly two weeks ago.
Dead
Found in an emaciated condition, Venugopalan was declared dead on January 31, shortly after he was diagnosed with oral cancer.
Soon, his body was shifted to the mortuary following post-mortem examination, according to the police.
Meanwhile, the Vanchiyoor police had registered a case and released the information about the deceased through the media.
Report
On seeing a report along with the photo of the deceased, his family turned up at the station to claim the body. They told the police that Venugopalan had left his house 22 years ago and had gone incommunicado ever since.
After verifying their credentials, the mortal remains were handed over to Venugopalan’s family on Tuesday following which the cremation took place at the Santhi Kavadam. The hospital authorities had also collected samples for a DNA test, sources said.