SAMASTIPUR, July 4 -- A bizarre case of disputed identity emerged in Samastipur district after two families claimed the same deceased man, with the second claim surfacing only after the body had already been cremated. The incident began on Wednesday when a middle-aged man reportedly fell ill and died near Karkhana Gate of Samastipur Junction railway station. Following information disseminated by local authorities, a woman identified as Geeta Devi, a resident of Aadharpur village under Karpoorigram police station, reached the spot and identified the deceased as her 55-year-old mentally-challenged husband, Shival Das. Based on her identification, the body was handed over to the family, and last rites were performed the same day. The case took an unexpected turn on Thursday when another woman, Chinma Devi, a resident of Rajkha Rampur village in Morwa South panchayat under Tajpur police station, claimed that the cremated man was her husband, 55-year-old Sundeshwar Pandit. According to Chinma Devi, her husband had left for Hyderabad for work about 15 days ago and had informed the family that he had reached Samastipur on Wednesday. However, they lost contact with him thereafter. She alleged that she was informed by a resident of Aadharpur on Thursday that her husband was being cremated. By the time she reached the village with her relatives, the cremation had already been completed. In her complaint submitted to Karpoorigram police station, Chinma Devi alleged that her husband's Aadhaar card and mobile phone were recovered from the house of a resident of Aadharpur village. She accused those involved of murdering her husband and hurriedly cremating the body after identifying it as that of someone else. Police, however, said the allegations of murder were not supported by the initial inquiry. Karpoorigram SHO Rajkumar told HT on Friday that an application had been received from the second claimant and an investigation was underway. "Prima facie, the case appears to be one of mistaken identity and not murder. The body was handed over by the RPF after it was claimed by the first family," the SHO said. The conflicting claims over the identity of the deceased left the case shrouded in mystery. Police are now trying to establish sequence of events. When contacted, GRP in-charge at Samastipur Junction, Birbal Kumar Rai, said the body was handed over to claimant only after due verification. The claimant produced valid identity proof, and the deceased was also identified by an independent witness who was personally acquainted with the deceased and his family. Based on these verifications, the body was released to the claimant....