Man stays with body for 1 week

Sanjay Kumar Sain, deputy commissioner of police (north-east), said the death of the woman was due to natural causes arising from old age.

A man struggling with mental health problems and alcoholism lived next to the decomposing body of his mother for several days before the death of the woman was discovered by her neighbours in north-east Delhi’s Usmanpur on Thursday evening, police said.

The exact date of the woman’s death could not be immediately ascertained, police said the extent of decomposition suggested that she died at least a week ago. (Getty Images/iStock representative photo)

Sanjay Kumar Sain, deputy commissioner of police (north-east), said the death of the woman was due to natural causes arising from old age. “As of now, no foul play has been found. We are investigating the case,” said Sain.

While the exact date of the woman’s death could not be immediately ascertained, police said the extent of decomposition suggested that she died at least a week ago. Neighbours, on the other hand, told police that they last saw the woman outside her house at least 10 days ago.

According to the police, the woman lived with her 54-year-old son in a house in Usmanpur that belongs to one of her daughters, who lives in a north Delhi neighbourhood.

“The woman also has one more son and a daughter. But they had limited communication with their mother or their sibling who stayed with her,” said a police officer. The man who lived with the woman is unemployed, struggling with a mental ailment, and addicted to alcohol, he added.

“They sometimes lived at the goodwill of neighbours who would occasionally give them food,” said the officer.

There was no interaction with the neighbours for at least 10 days until Thursday, he added.

At around 7.15pm on Thursday, the police received a call from the woman’s neighbours who informed the police about a strong stench from her house.

“The house was closed from inside. We got it opened and found the woman dead. Her body was heavily decomposed. Her son was found in an inebriated condition on another bed in the same room,” said the officer.

The body has been sent for autopsy, and the man is underdoing a medical examination, police said.