NEW DELHI: Days after a photograph of a weeping child standing beside a body went viral as that of a son mourning his father, the dead man’s parents have come forward to claim that their son was not married and the boy was his cousin , not son.The man, Anil, died while trying to clean a sewer. The photograph had moved many a netizen, triggering a sympathy wave that gave rise to a fund-raising campaign helmed by crowdfunding website Ketto in league with NGO Uday Foundation. In a matter of days, the campaign raised over Rs 50 lakh. But the sudden twist in the tale has forced Delhi Police and the Delhi government to intervene.On Thursday, Deendayal and Saroj, the parents of Anil, met social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam at his residence and said the woman who was presented as Anil’s wife was actually his maternal aunt Rani. “Anil’s mother also showed me a photograph of her with her sister. The parents belong to Jhansi but have been living in Loni, Ghaziabad, for a while,” Gautam said.The minister added that the government was yet to pay compensation due to the complexity of the relationships. “The police and area SDM are conducting an inquiry to identify the kin of the deceased. Once the real dependents are identified, the money will be released,” Gautam said.After this disclosure, Ketto also released a statement on Twitter in the evening, claiming that they were investigating the case. “No funds have been transferred until now and funds raised are transferred to a beneficiary following a thorough check of facts and completion of our verification procedure,” the tweet read.TOI spoke to Rani. She accepted that she wasn’t Anil’s wife but he had been living with her in her Dabri house for the past three years. She had her own tale of suffering to share. “I was married off when I was only 11. My husband used to beat me up so I left him and came to Manohar whom I married. I had three children with him,” Rani said.She used to live in Vikaspuri with her second husband. But then they drifted apart. “He probably lives in Mumbai now. I am not in touch with him anymore,” Rani said.Rani’s neighbours confirmed that she and Anil lived in the same house for three years, and while Anil did odd jobs, Rani was a domestic help.Rani also alleged that Saroj and Deendayal came to her house in Dabri and fought with her over the money she was supposed to get. Rani’s landlady, Rammo, confirmed this and said Anil’s parents came to collect their son’s ashes on Wednesday and fought with her when they learnt about the compensation. But Saroj told the media that Rani had been posing as Anil’s wife for the money and didn’t even let them perform their son’s last rites.Rani said she was willing to share whatever money she would receive with Anil’s parents. “I just need help to secure my son’s future,” she said.