Mumbai: Romanian's body unclaimed in morgue for two months

Mihai Bartha jumped from Maker Tower No. 5 in Cuffe Parade on May 9

Over two months have passed since Mihai Bartha, a 35-year-old Romanian citizen, jumped off a high-rise in south Mumbai, but his family is still unaware of this. Since June 8, the Cuffe Parade police have been urging the Romanian consulate to inform Bartha's family of his death, but no one has turned up yet to claim the body.

The police have learnt that Bartha, a native of Cluj-Napoca, had landed in Mumbai on May 6 and lost all his belongings soon after he went to Goa. "We don't know whether his luggage was stolen or he lost it. All we know is he reached to a bus depot in Goa, where he requested travel operators to allow him travel to Mumbai for Rs 200," said an officer from Cuffe Parade police. "One of the tour operators felt sorry for him, and not only gave him a free ticket but also arranged for his meal during the journey," the officer added.

"PSI Sandeep Pise and Constable Avinash Ingle went to Goa and identified the deceased as Mihai Bartha," said Rashmi Jadhav, senior inspector of Cuffe Parade police station. The police and the Indian government sent four reminders to the consulate to either send Bartha's parents or claim his body, but the only reply they received was a request for DNA samples of the deceased. The cops have now initiated the process to extract DNA. "The body has been in the JJ hospital mortuary for 75 days. It was the Government of India's correspondence that woke the Romanian consulate," said a senior officer. Despite attempts to contact the Romanian consulate, no one was available for comment.

Also Read: Mumbai: Romanian national found in pool of blood at posh Cuffe Parade high-rise

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