'Couldn't perform his last rites': DNA says charred ‘animal’ flesh dumped by UP cops 5 years ago was human; FIR filed

BAREILLY: Nearly five years after police discarded a piece of charred flesh found at a fire site, mistaking it for animal remains, a forensic report has confirmed the tissue was human. The remains belonged to 18-year-old Sumit Yadav, whose family had filed a missing person's complaint within hours of the fire. The confirmation, delayed by years, has led to a fresh FIR under murder charges — and reopened a case that police had never formally closed.Sumit's father, Ram Avtar Yadav, a daily wager from Shahjahanpur, told Times of India, "I didn't see my son's face for the last time. I couldn't even perform his last rites. The police didn't tell me. They found a body and still didn't tell me."On Dec 19, 2020, a fire broke out at the mobile repair shop of one Mohd Naim. During the inspection that followed, police found a burnt piece of flesh from the premises. Assuming it to be animal meat, they disposed of it near a pond. It was only after a government veterinarian examined a sample for post-mortem that the possibility of it being human was raised. A portion was then preserved and sent for forensic analysis.The next day, Ram Avtar filed a missing person's report after Sumit failed to return home. But the body had already been discarded. For months, there was no connection drawn between the burnt remains and the disappearance. Police made no outreach to the family regarding the recovered flesh.Over the next year and a half, Ram Avtar continued to press for answers. His suspicion deepened after learning that Sumit had last been seen in the company of Naim. Eventually, he approached a magistrate's court seeking permission to inspect seized items recovered from the shop. At the malkhana, or police storeroom, he identified a locket belonging to his son. Still, police did not confirm the body's identity. "The struggle continued for another three and a half years," he said. "Only the DNA report finally proved that the flesh was my son's."Following the match, Shahjahanpur police registered an FIR under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC — which corresponds to murder. The accused, Naim and a man identified as Raju, have been named in the complaint. Shahjahanpur SSP Rajesh Dwivedi said, "We have constituted two teams. The accused will be nabbed soon."