Ahmedabad airport staff misplace body of youth

Zeel Khokhra died while swimming at Victoria Beach in Australia

The mortal remains of a youth brought from Australia to Ahmedabad on an Air India flight were mistakenly handed over to the claimant of another piece of cargo at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPI). Zeel Khokhra from Surendranagar district in Gujarat had died in Australia and his body was flown in from Sydney to Ahmedabad via Delhi. The alleged incident occurred at the domestic terminal of SVPI.

"Khokhra died while swimming at Victoria Beach in Australia on March 17. Alongside two others, he found himself in distress, requiring rescue. Despite efforts to save him, he succumbed to the incident. He had been studying at La Trobe University in Melbourne since May 2023 and was set to return home soon," said an SVPI police officer.

Using CCTV footage, Khokhra's body was traced to a corporate building in Ahmedabad's Vastrapur area

According to the officer, when the Air India cargo flight transported his body to the Ahmedabad airport on March 27 the casket containing the body was misidentified as spare parts destined for a company in Mumbai. "This error occurred despite the coffin containing Khokhra's body being clearly marked and designated for transport by J B Dias Funerals."

The mix-up came to light only after the family arrived to claim the body, hours after the flight had landed in the city (earlier than scheduled) in the wee hours of Thursday. "The family had not been immediately informed about the arrival of the flight with Khokhra's remains," said an SVPI ground staffer. "As soon as we learnt of the incident, the youth's body was traced to a corporate building in Ahmedabad's Vastrapur area, with the assistance of airport authorities and CCTV footage. The tracking process went on for around eight hours," said an officer from SVPI police.

Khokhra's family is now considering raising a complaint with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regarding the negligence, demanding stringent action against the airport staff responsible for the failure to verify the consignment. A family member told mid-day, "We were already in shock after getting to know about his demise. On top of that, we had a hard time at the airport as the casket containing his body was handed over to another claimant. This is very disappointing and we demand immediate action against the airlines and the airport for mishandling the body of our beloved." The youth's last rites were performed at Surendranagar on the evening of Mar 28. An email query regarding the incident sent by this reporter to Air India went unanswered.

Mar 17
Day Zeel Khokhra died in Australia