‘Dead’ man wakes up after 20hrs in freezer

A 74-year-old man, who was presumed dead and kept in a freezer for about 20 hours in Tamil Nadu, has been rescued by police.

Balasubramanian Kumar was critically ill and bed-ridden in his village of Kandhampatti in Tamil Nadu state when his family noticed he had stopped moving on Monday afternoon, reports Independent.

Then, his family members thought he died after he had stopped moving. They called for a freezer box to be delivered so that the body could be preserved for last rites.

But when the employee of the freezer company arrived the next day to pick up the icy glass coffin, he noticed that the old man was moving, reports Mail Online news.

Then, the family was called.

When they checked, they realised Kumar was still breathing, at which point they called for help.

Local media reports indicate that the man was kept in the freezer for around 20 hours.

Sub-inspector Rajasekaran of the Sooramangalam Police told The Independent that they were called to the house on Tuesday by the freezer box company.

A case has been lodged against the family members who declared Kumar dead without a proper medical check under Sections 287 (negligent conduct to endanger human life) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code.

The incident has attracted national attention after a video report by a Tamil news channel that showed a video of Kumar convulsing inside the freezer box.

In the video, a man can be heard saying that his brother is dead, even as the man behind the camera tells him that Kumar’s hand is shaking inside the box.

“His hands are trembling, how?” the person behind the camera asks. “Oh, it’s fits (seizures),” the brother, identified by Indian media as Saravanan, says. “How can that be possible if he’s dead?” the person asks, to which Saravanan responds: “His soul has not left him yet.”

The Tamil channel reported that Kumar was then taken out of the freezer immediately and rushed to the local hospital in Salem city, where he is still undergoing treatment.