Mumbai police investigate body kept in clinic freezer for four years

Mumbai police are investigating a case involving the body of an 80-year-old man that was found preserved in a freezer at a clinic in Malad East. The body had reportedly been kept in the facility for nearly four years following the man's death in June 2022.

The man's family, including his wife and adult children, stated they kept the body preserved in hopes of eventually transporting it to a cryonics facility in the United States. They reported that the man died of natural causes, specifically a heart attack following a battle with cancer. The family claimed they were deeply affected by his death and had been researching cryonics—an experimental practice of preserving legally dead individuals at extremely low temperatures in the hope that future medical technology might restore them.

Authorities discovered the body after receiving a tip-off while the clinic was closed for renovations. Police are currently consulting experts to determine the legality of such long-term body preservation under Indian law and whether the family's actions comply with local regulations.