Odisha software engineer’s body handed over to family after mix-up at Bengaluru airport

The mortal remains of Rakesh S, a 30-year-old software engineer from Odisha whose body was mistakenly sent to Siliguri, West Bengal, instead of Balasore, have finally been handed over to his family after a mid-route exchange with the rightful kin.

According to reports, Rakesh of Mulisingh village under Soro police station limits in Balasore district, had been working at an IT firm in Bengaluru for the past three years. He reportedly suffered an electric shock at his rented accommodation and succumbed at a private hospital in Bengaluru last Friday.

Following post-mortem procedures, his body was sent to Kempegowda International Airport for transport to Odisha. But due to what authorities have described as a ‘handling lapse,' the coffin marked with his name was flown to Siliguri, while another body, later identified as that of Raju Adhikari from Siliguri, was mistakenly sent to Balasore.

The error came to light when Rakesh’s family opened the coffin at their home in Soro and found it contained someone else’s remains. Authorities later confirmed that Rakesh’s body had been wrongly dispatched to West Bengal.

Bodies Exchanged at Krishnanagar

After urgent coordination between the two grieving families, an exchange was arranged at Krishnanagar in West Bengal. Rakesh’s remains were handed over to his relatives there, while Adhikari’s body was returned to his kin.

By Sunday evening, Rakesh’s body had reached his native village in Balasore, where his final rites are scheduled to be performed on Monday.

Meanwhile, the incident has triggered anger among locals in Soro, who allege gross negligence on the part of airport and airline staff. Authorities have yet to issue an official explanation for the mix-up.