Comment 1 for bug 1115465

Even after forcing dpkg to remove debootstrap:

dpkg --force-all -r debootstrap
dpkg: warning: overriding problem because --force enabled:
 Package is in a very bad inconsistent state - you should
 reinstall it before attempting a removal.
(Reading database ...
dpkg: warning: files list file for package `debootstrap' missing, assuming package has no files currently installed.
(Reading database ... 253879 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing debootstrap ...

...and then trying to re-install, dpkg still hangs & leaves a <defunct> process behind.