Man cremates ‘wife’ only to find her alive nearly 400 miles away

A man has been reunited with his wife just four days after what he believed to be her funeral.

Ram Sumer, 60, from the Indian city of Gorakhpur, had reported his 40-year-old spouse missing, telling police that she had set off for home from her parents’ house on 15 June, but failed to make it back.

Four days later, a woman’s body was found in the nearby neighbourhood of Uruva Bazaar, the Press Trust of Indiareports.

Sumer subsequently identified the body as that of his wife, Phoolmati, and cremated her.

However, the results of a post-mortem exam later revealed that the woman had been strangled to death, prompting authorities to look further into the case.

Police then traced Phoolmati’s mobile phone which showed activity in the city Jhansi, which is around 600 kilometres (372 miles) from Gorakhpur.

Call records showed regular contact between Phoolmati and a man named Shubham.

Upon questioning, Shubham confirmed that Phoolmati was alive and that he had taken her to Jhansi.

The police then found her at an address he had provided.

The region’s police superintendent Jitendra Kumar Tomar said that Phoolmati was sent back to her husband on Saturday (22 June) after recording her statement.

The authorities now intend to establish the relationship between Sumer, Phoolmati, Shubham, and the unidentified woman who was cremated.

Police said they had also obtained CCTV footage showing a suspicious individual, which they hope will shed further light on this extraordinary case.

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