An artificial skeleton discovered inside a wooden box during a cleanliness drive near Kali Mata Mandir on Deendayal Upadhyay (DDU) Marg in central Delhi triggered a police inquiry on Saturday, September 26, 2026. Forensic examinations swiftly confirmed the object was made of artificial bones rather than human remains, dismissing initial fears of a criminal offense.
Unfolding Events Near Kali Mata Mandir
The discovery unfolded on Saturday morning as municipal staff and political party workers converged on the area around the temple complex on DDU Marg. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), alongside the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), organized the large-scale sanitation effort in anticipation of the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations.
According to Delhi Police, teams rushed to the site after receiving reports of suspected skeletal material found inside a wooden box. The container rested within the temporary dwelling or jhuggi of a local scrap dealer identified as Mohammad Shakeel.
Tracing the Origin of the Skeletal Model
DCP Central Rohit Rajbir Singh noted that officers found an old, assembled skeletal structure housed securely within the wooden box, entirely free of bloodstains or other suspicious indicators.
A preliminary inquiry quickly tracked the object’s paper trail back to a nearby educational institution. Mohammad Shakeel informed authorities that he had acquired the box as part of a lot purchased from the Government Boys Senior Secondary School located on Mata Sundari Road.
Corroborating this account, the school principal explained to investigators that the institution had transitioned to a newly constructed building in 2023. During a subsequent cleanliness drive in July 2026, administrators disposed of various accumulated, broken, and obsolete articles from the older premises as institutional scrap.
| Detail Category | Reported Fact |
|---|---|
| Date of Recovery | Saturday, September 26, 2026 |
| Location | Near Kali Mata Mandir, DDU Marg, Central Delhi |
| Organizers | Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi BJP |
| Initial Finding | Assembled skeletal structure inside a wooden box |
| Source of Scrap | Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Mata Sundari Road |
| Forensic Conclusion | Artificial bones used for educational or study purposes |
Forensic Verification and Political Response
Specialized crime and forensic teams inspected the artifact directly at the scene. Their preliminary assessments confirmed that the structure consisted of artificial bones, serving as a teaching aid or study model typically utilized within school science laboratories.
Despite the swift scientific clarification, local political figures voiced broader concerns regarding the surrounding urban environment. Delhi BJP vice-president Rajesh Bhatia, alongside co-office secretary Amit Gupta and former MCD mayor Raja Iqbal Singh, participated in the Saturday drive. They pointed to the recovery near a religious site on the eve of Durga Puja to urge heightened vigilance.
BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor also called for comprehensive, unannounced inspections by the Municipal Commissioner and Police Commissioner. Citing the dense concentration of courts, hospitals, educational institutions, political party headquarters, and NGOs along DDU Marg, Rouse Avenue, and Mata Sundari Road, the party emphasized the ongoing challenge of managing unregulated encroachments in central municipal zones.
But there is a catch: while local leaders pressed for heightened security checks, law enforcement officials maintained that the investigation yielded zero evidence of foul play.
“At this stage, there is no prima facie indication of any criminal offence in the matter,” DCP Rohit Rajbir Singh confirmed to reporters following the preliminary examination.
