For 65-year-old Pandurang Ulpe, a speed breaker proved to be a life-saver after an ambulance carrying his “body” from the hospital crossed it and his family noticed his fingers moving.

Earlier in the day on December 16, Ulpe, a resident of Kasaba-Bawada in western Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district, suffered a heart attack and was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

An ambulance then began the journey with his “body” from the hospital to his home, where neighbours and relatives had gathered upon hearing the news of his demise, and were preparing for his last rites.

“When we were bringing his “body” home from the hospital, the ambulance passed over a speed breaker and we noticed that there was a movement in his fingers,” his wife said.

He was then taken back to another hospital, where he remained for a fortnight, and underwent an angioplasty during the period, a family member said.

Ulpe walked home from the hospital on Monday, a fortnight after the ambulance passed over the speed breaker, taking him back to life instead of the crematorium.

Narrating the sequence of the events of December 16, Ulpe, a warkari (devotee of Lord Vitthal) said, “I had come home from a walk and was sitting after sipping tea. I felt dizzy and breathless. I went to the bathroom and vomited. I don’t remember what happened afterwards, including who took me to the hospital.” There has been no comment so far from the hospital which had declared him dead.

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