Man cremates ‘wife’ only to discover she’s alive 400 miles away

He was reunited with his loved one a week after her funeral.

60-year-old Ram Sumer, from Gorakhpur in India, reported his 40-year-old wife, Phoolmati, missing on 15 June after she set off on a walk to visit her parents, but failed to return.

Four days after her disappearance, police discovered a body in the nearby neighbourhood of Uruva Bazaar.

According to the Press Trust of India, Sumer identified the corpse as that of his wife, and a couple of days later, the remains were cremated and a ceremony was held to mark her passing.

In the midst of his grief, Sumer was contacted by the pathologist who had conducted a post-mortem on the woman's body, and found that the deceased had been strangled to death.

This prompted authorities to re-investigate the case.

Police traced Phoolmati's mobile phone, and her last known activity was recorded in the city of Jhansi, which is 600km away from Gorakhpur - an 11 hour drive.

Her call records showed repeated communication with a man named Shubham, and police were able to track him down for questioning.