Ahmedabad John Doe was a man who was killed during the 2008 Ahmedabad bombings in India. He had initially been identified as Vipul Patel by the man's family, though this was proven false when Patel returned to his home in 2011. The decedent is reported to have been cremated before Patel returned home, and authorities have lost the records of his death.
Case[]
The 2008 Ahmedabad Bombings[]
On 26 July 2008, 21 bombs exploded around the city of Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat, India, during a 70-minute period. This attack followed the bombing of the city of Bangalore the previous day and was claimed by the terrorist group Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami. Overall, 56 people were killed, with 200 being injured. Following the attack, the perpetrators were identified and arrested after an investigation of local CCTV and where the materials for the bombs originated.
Misidentification[]
Following the terrorist attack, surviving families were asked to identify bodies found in the rubble, with one body remaining unidentified for 55 days afterwards. The family of Vipul Patel eventually came forward and claimed the mangled body to belong to their missing loved one, noting that the decedent's clothing and bracelet looked similar to the apparel Patel would wear. The state would proceed to identify the body as belonging to Patel, giving his family money in compensation for the tragedy, and cremating him.
However, in 2011, Patel's family received a knock on their door late at night. Upon greeting the visitor, they found Patel alive, shocking the family. This was immediately reported to the authorities, and action was taken to reverse all of Patel's death records, as well as return the compensation money. Despite this revelation, the decedent remains labeled as Vipul Patel in state records, and any further records on the descent have been lost. Due to the loss of his records and the cremation of his body, officials claim it may be impossible ever to identify the decedent.
Sources[]
- 2008 Ahmedabad Bombings on Wikipedia
- Times of India