Twist in Delhi sewer death story: Weeping boy in viral pic not victim's 'son'

New Delhi: Disputing claims over Rs 57 lakh raised by an NGO to help the family of a 27-year-old man who died while manually cleaning a sewer line at a residential apartment in Dwarka area of Delhi have triggered confusion.

The NGO had decided to raise the money after a photograph of a boy grieving next to Anil's body had gone viral on social media.

Anil died on September 14 after he slipped when descending into the 20-feet deep sewer as the rope tied around his waist snapped and he went into a free fall.

In the photograph shared widely by social media users, the boy, believed to be Anil's son, was seen grieving next to his body.

The photograph moved netizens and NGO Uday Foundation launched a campaign to help Anil's family. However, his sister Geeta said Anil never married and the woman, who has claimed that she is his wife and mother to the boy seen in the photograph and two other children, is Anil's maternal aunt.

"There is some foul play in his death. The woman who claims to be his wife is actually our ‘mausi’ (maternal aunt). Her husband lives in Mumbai and Anil had been living with her for close to three years. He was never married but used to treat her kids as his own children," Geeta told PTI.

Geeta claimed Anil was in a live-in relationship with his maternal aunt. She said she is ready to share the money raised by the NGO with their ‘mausi’.

Anil and his maternal aunt had a biological son who died of pneumonia four months ago, a member of the NGO said.

"We are deeply pained. The children were adopted by Anil and he had raised them as his own. The children are in a vulnerable condition. We will take a collective decision on the funds raised through the social media campaign," said Yashwant Deshmukh, one of the founding members of the foundation.