Jashpur: In a bizarre turn of events, a 30-year-old man who was officially presumed dead in a murder case walked into the Jashpur City Kotwali police station to announce that he was very much alive, leaving police, local officials and his own family stunned.
Seemit Khakha, a resident of Sitonga village, appeared at the police station on Saturday night and told officers, “Sir, I’m alive. I am not dead.” His arrival came weeks after a partially burnt and mutilated body found in a nearby forest was identified by his family as his, leading police to register a murder case and arrest several accused.
The incident dates back to October 22, when a severely burnt body with a disfigured face was found in the Turitongri forest, located between Purnanagar and Balachhapar under the Jashpur City Kotwali police station limits. During the investigation, Seemit’s mother, father and brother identified the body as his. An executive magistrate (Naib Tehsildar) conducted the post-mortem, and the crime scene was recreated with the help of forensic experts. All procedures were video-recorded.
Based on the investigation, police claimed that Seemit had returned from Jharkhand on October 17 with his companions—Ramjeet Ram, Virendra Ram and a juvenile. According to police, the group consumed alcohol near the Banki River bridge, where a dispute allegedly broke out over commission money. Investigators alleged that Ramjeet stabbed Seemit with a knife, while Virendra assaulted him with an iron rod, killing him on the spot. The accused were said to have dumped the body in a forest pit and attempted to burn it to destroy evidence.
The arrested accused later confessed to the crime before a Judicial Magistrate, and additional suspects were also taken into custody. Police registered cases under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to murder and robbery.
However, the case took an unexpected turn when Seemit Khakha arrived at the police station accompanied by Kalpana Khalkho, the sarpanch of Sitonga Gram Panchayat. Khalkho said she was alerted by an auto-rickshaw driver who recognised Seemit after he got off a bus from Jharkhand. The driver informed her that the man believed to have been murdered—and for whose death people were in jail—was alive.
Seemit later told police that he had gone to Jharkhand with friends in search of work but got separated from them. He eventually reached Sarai Pali village in Giridih district, where he began working as a labourer. Without a mobile phone, he was unable to contact his family. He decided to return home to celebrate Christmas, only to discover that he had been declared dead.
SDPO Chandrashekhar Parma said the police had acted professionally and followed due legal process based on the evidence available at the time. “The body was identified by close family members before an executive magistrate, and the accused confessed before a Judicial Magistrate. However, it has now turned out to be a case of mistaken identity,” he said.
Following Seemit’s return, his family expressed relief and happiness that he was alive and safe. Police have now begun a fresh investigation to establish the identity of the partially burnt body found in the forest and to reassess the case in light of the startling development.
