Elderly woman’s decomposed body found in Jamia Nagar flat

The decomposed body of a 65-year-old woman was found in a flat in the Jamia Nagar area of Southeast Delhi, while her husband, a retired music teacher from Jamia Millia Islamia, was rescued in a critical condition, the police said on Monday.

The incident came to light after the couple’s daughter, who lives in Hong Kong, had been trying to establish contact with her parents for the past three days. When she failed to reach them, she rang up her maternal uncle, Ahmed Khan, who lives in the same area, to check on the family.

When he visited the house on Sunday evening, the couple’s son, Imran, was speaking from inside the house, but did not open the door. After Ahmed did not get any response from the couple, he informed the police about the incident.

After getting call, a team from the Jamia Nagar police station reached the spot and broke open the door. Inside, they found the decomposed body of Aftab Jehan (65) on a bed, while her husband, Siraz Khan (70), was lying in a fragile condition. Imran, aged around 48, was sitting outside the room. Siraz was shifted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre.

The police said a preliminary inquiry revealed that Imran, who has a history of psychiatric illness, remained inside the flat for three to four days without food, unable to seek medical help for his ailing parents.

The police said the body of Aftab was in a highly decomposed state, with no visible injuries. “It appears to be a natural death due to illness. However, the exact cause of the death will be ascertained after the post-mortem examination,” an officer said.

Imran was taken to the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences in Shahdara and later referred to GTB Hospital as no relative was available to accompany him, officials added.

The district crime team inspected the scene and proceedings under Section 176 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) are underway, the police said.