Hyderabad: Close on the heels of an heart-wrenching incident of Dana Majhi, who carried his wife's body for 10 kilometers in Odisha, here is a similar tragic story of an alms-seeker right in the heart of the bustling city of Hyderabad.

An aged man trekked 60 kilometers to his native village with his wife's body on a makeshift trolley, here on Saturday. Natives of Maikode village in Manoor mandal of Sangareddy district, Ramulu (53) and Kavitha (45) are leprosy patients. They left their native village in search of livelihood and reached Bidar railway station in Karnataka. They resorted to seeking alms in the railway station and surrounding areas.

After Ramulu and Kavitha reached Hyderabad, the latter fell ill and passed away. A grief-stricken Ramulu decided to perform the last rites in their native village and started the long trek.

They were informed that an NGO in Moula Ali area of Hyderabad was providing 5 kgs of rice per month to those seeking alms. They immediately took the Bidar-Shirdi intercity express on Friday night and reached Lingampally station in Hyderabad. On Saturday morning as they were preparing to go to Moula Ali from Lingampally, Kavitha suddenly fell ill and passed away.

An inconsolable Ramulu decided to perform the last rites of Kavitha at their native village of Maikode. Faced with empty pockets, he then borrowed a makeshift trolley from another mendicant and placed his wife's body on the trolley. Ramulu then started to walk to his native village. He reached Vikarabad after trekking 60 kilometers from Hyderabad while pushing the trolley.

In Vikarabad passersby noticed his plight and alerted the police. Inspector Ravi who reached the spot, offered to perform the last rites in Vikarabad itself. However, the grief-stricken Ramulu refused and expressed his intention to go to Maikode village. The inspector then contacted an NGO and arranged for an ambulance. Ramulu managed to reach his native village at 7 p.m. where his elder brother helped him in performing the cremation.