No place to keep, man roams with wife’s body in ambulance

New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) A man had to roam around forseveral hours with his wife’s body in an ambulance as hislandlord allegedly did not allow to keep it at his rentedaccommodation in Karkardooma village in east Delhi. Chhote Lal, who runs a tea shop, had admitted his wifeAnju, who was 35, to Hedgewar Hospital two-three days agoafter she complained of high fever. She died in the hospital yesterday, and it was suspectedto be a case of "chikungunya", police said today. When the grieving husband took her body to his rented homein Karkardooma, his landlord allegedly didn’t allow him tokeep it there. He then tried to keep the body in the lane where his houseis situated but some neighbours allegedly objected sayingchildren in the locality could get scared. However, Babloo, Lal’s landlord told police he helped himwith money so that he could get an "AC ambulance to keep thebody". He said Chhote Lal stays on the third floor of the housein a single room and the body would have started decaying hadit been kept in the cramped space with no ventilation. He told police that he had given Rs 2,000 to Chhote Laland got an AC ambulance arranged for him to preserve the bodyfor the night before cremation. He also tried to take back the body to the hospital wherehe was allegedly told that they couldn’t keep it there. "With no option left, Chhote Lal then kept roaming withthe body of his wife in the ambulance for close to four hoursbefore he was spotted around midnight by the police beat staffnear the Cross River Mall who came to know about his plight. "When he revealed that he wasn’t allowed to keep hiswife’s body at his rented accommodation, the staff called upone Bhanwar Singh, a businessman residing in the area around12.30 am," said a senior police officer. "Singh extended help to Chhote Lal and the body was keptat his house overnight. Some policemen and Singh’s staff laterhelped Lal arrange for the last rites of his wife who wascremated in this morning," he said. PTI SLB TIR RGTIR