05 Jan 2024  |   06:23am IST

Now that Milagres is alive, the police need to find out who is the dead man, who was laid to rest

Sheer number of close people who identified the wrong person as dead is difficult to digest

Team Herald

PANJIM: The curious case of the return of Milagres Gonsalves from Agasaim has posed several questions on the entire incident that unfolded in the peaceful village of Agasaim. The incident has also called on law enforcement for more stringent measures to make sure there is no repeat of incidents of this nature.

Sources suggest that the police have decided to conduct a DNA test to ascertain the identity of the dead body that was buried by the Gonsalves family.

Experts have informed that the family of Milagres who had identified and accepted the body of an unknown man and later laid it to rest will have to write to the authorities to the police clarifying the matter after which the grave will have to be dug up. The body will have to be handed over. But the question is, to whom?

If the dead Milagres Gonsalves is alive, then who is the one who is dead and buried, in his place? And where is his family? Interestingly, for the past two months, no one looked for the man who now lies buried

Secondly, the biggest and perhaps most confusing aspect of this dead man comes alive saga, is his wife identifying another man as her dead husband. Moreover, how did no one who attended the funeral - family members and fellow villagers- figure this was not their Milagres. 

The sheer number of close people who identified the wrong person as dead is difficult to digest

Thirdly, the exact whereabouts of Milagres from his “date of death October 7” is still unclear though it is believed that he was in Mumbai. This itself sparks further questions.

However, what is clear is that Milagres was referred to the NGO Street Providence by the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB) some months ago. Donald Fernandes of Street Providence said, “Milagres is suffering from a different disability. The IPHB notified us for help. This is a genuine case of missing identity and no one is to be blamed for this. "Everything including the birthmarks was matching,” he said.

On October 7, 2023, the Panjim police initiated an investigation into an Unnatural Death case, where a body was discovered. Subsequent identification processes led authorities to conclude that the deceased was, in fact, Milagres Gonsalves. 

The family identified the body, leading to the arrangement of a proper funeral after a post-mortem examination. However, in an unprecedented twist, the supposedly deceased Milagres Gonsalves resurfaced, returning to his home after two months, stunning everyone who believed him to be gone.