It was a costly goof-up by authorities at the Palakkad district hospital in Kerala when a tribal woman's body was handed over to another family, whose member had died and tested Covid positive.
Trouble started when the police on Friday came to the hospital to take the body of the tribal woman who fell into a lake, for completing their probe into an unnatural death.
It then came to light that it was the body of another woman, who was Covid positive, which was kept at the hospital.
By the time the police realised, it was too late as the last rites of the tribal woman were over, as it was perceived to be the body of the Covid positive patient.
A probe has been launched into the incident.