On Thursday night, Gupta wrote to Bandra police claiming that the man is his father, Ramsharan. Gupta claimed that the ward boys did not show the family the man’s face saying it was not allowed.

“My father had pneumonia and was admitted to a private hospital on June 24, 2020. His COVID test returned positive and we shifted him to BMC’s Bhabha Hospital in Bandra on June 27. On June 29, we got a call from the doctors informing us of his death. They asked us to come to Santacruz West crematorium,” Gupta told mid-day.

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The Guptas noticed that the body was very weak and shorter in height. They asked to see the face but were not allowed to by the ward boys, who cited COVID protocol. “After the cremation, we took his ashes to Nashik and performed all rituals considering he was my father,” Gupta said.

But on Thursday, Bijay and his sister Nirmala, a resident of Ulhasnagar, came across the viral video. They were stunned to see their father alive. “We are sure it is him. When we rushed to the police station and registered a complaint, the cops said they don’t know about the date of the video and that they will have to check. I really want to know what happened to my father,” Gupta said.

Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer of the BMC remained unavailable for comment on the matter.