A 55-year-old school teacher here got a shock of his life when he received a call earlier this week from the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) that his death certificate was ready and he should come and collect it.

When Chandrashekar Joshi, a city resident, went to the TMC office, he was allegedly told by an official that as per the data received from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), he had 'died' on April 22, 2021.