74-year-old man rescued from freezer; family allegedly waited for death

SALEM: In a shocking incident that has sparked outrage, a 74-year-old critically ill man in Tamil Nadu's Salem district was rescued on Tuesday from a freezer box. His family allegedly was waiting for him to die after he was discharged from a hospital, and he was made to lie overnight in the box, used to store bodies.

The man was found alive by an executive on Tuesday when he came to take back the freezer box, which had been taken by the 74-year-old's brother from an agency. The executive raised an alarm and tried to arrange help, officials said.

A disturbing video shows the 74-year old man gasping for breath inside the box. The man - identified as Balasubramania Kumar - has been admitted to a hospital.

Officials probing the incident said the 74-year-old man was recently discharged from a hospital in a critical condition. However, his brother had asked for a freezer box as he allegedly waited for him to die.

An executive of the agency - that gave the family the freezer box - raised an alarm seeing the man alive, leading to the man's rescue.

Deivalingam, an advocate who provides free vehicles to carry bodies, also rushed to the man's home, hearing about the incident. "The man was kept inside the whole night. The agency executive got panicked and alerted me. I was told by the family - 'The spirit has not left and we are waiting'.

A police officer told NDTV: "A case of negligent conduct and endangering life has been registered. We are investigating".

The old man retired from a private company as a store keeper, according to the police. He lives with his widower brother and a niece who is differently-abled.