Odisha family cremates body believing son was dead. He returns home after a month

A family in Odisha’s Dhenkanal had already cremated the body of a man they believed was their 29-year-old son, performed his last rites and begun observing the rituals of mourning. Then, nearly a month after his disappearance, the man they thought was dead suddenly returned home alive.Sanatan Naik's family had identified a severely decomposed body recovered from a paddy field as his, based on the clothes found on it. They cremated the body and completed the customary purification ritual, or Suddhikriya, believing they had laid their son to rest.But their grief turned into disbelief when police informed them that Naik was alive.Naik, who had a mental health condition, had gone missing after leaving his home on a bicycle on July 27. Despite repeated searches, his family could not find him. Around 10 days later, police recovered an unidentified body from a paddy field near their home. The body was severely decomposed and had reportedly remained in water for some time.Police informed Naik’s family about the recovery. By the time they reached the spot, however, the body had already been sent for post-mortem examination. The family later identified the body as Naik’s based on the clothes found on it. After the body was handed over to them, they performed the funeral and customary rituals.Then came the twist that left the family stunned. Naik was alive.After receiving the information from the police, his relatives immediately travelled to the spot where he was found, brought him home and reunited him with the family. His return brought relief to his relatives, especially for his wife, who had already begun observing widowhood rituals.Speaking about the incident, the man's mother, Manju Naik, said her son left home on July 27. The family initially believed he might have gone to a relative's house and would return soon. When he did not come back after several days, they began searching for him.Manju said the family later learnt that the decomposed body of a young man had been found floating in the farmland."We wondered how he could have ended up there, as he never used to go to that place. Based on the clothes, we identified the body as our son’s and performed his funeral rites. Nearly a month later, we were informed by the police that our son was alive,” she said.The episode has now left the family and authorities facing one unanswered question -- whose body did they actually cremate?No official comment has so far been received from the local police on the identity of the deceased person whose body was recovered from the paddy field and later cremated by Naik’s family.- EndsPublished On: Sep 2, 2026 08:55 IST