A husband returned home after his wife’s funeral and was shocked when he found her alive and upset.
Mutyala Girijamma, 75, was admitted to the Government General Hospital in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, southern India, after testing positive for Covid-19.
Her husband Gaddayya visited her every day to make sure she was getting better but when he reached the hospital on May 15 he could not find her.
After asking nurses and doctors for information, medical officials told Gaddayya that his wife had sadly passed away and her body was released to him inside a body bag.
The devastated man was advised not to touch or open the bag without wearing personal protective equipment to avoid spreading the deadly virus.
(Image: Jam Press/Newslions)
Gaddayya took the body of his beloved wife back to his native village and performed her last rites that day.
Mutyala was buried but Gaddayya was too upset to hold a memorial service.
Just days later, the grieving man received more sad news when his son Ramesh also died from Covid-19.
(Image: Jam Press/Newslions)
(Image: Jam Press/Newslions)
Reeling from his loss, Gaddayya buried his son and organised a joint memorial service for his wife and son.
But Mutyala left everyone in shock when she turned up at the wake and sat down, looking at everyone.
The elderly woman was upset that her husband had not collected her from the hospital and that she had to borrow money to get a taxi home.
(Image: Jam Press/Newslions)
(Image: Jam Press/Newslions)
Gaddayya and his family were horrified to learn that the hospital had released a stranger’s body to them, which they had buried thinking it was Mutyala.
The identity of the person in the body bag that Gaddayya was given is not yet known.
The hospital has yet to comment on the matter and no negligence case has been registered with authorities.
India’s healthcare system has been under pressure after the number of coronavirus cases and deaths rose exponentially in recent months.
The country reported 132,364 new coronavirus infections over the last 24 hours, while deaths rose by 2,713.
India has so far recorded 28,664,375 infections and 342,280 Covid-related deaths.