A woman along with her daughter kept the body of her son for several days after he died of septicemia and claimed that they thought he was asleep, police said on Tuesday.
According to police, Tejas Jain (13) was living in a flat in Chandranagar colony in Ghaziabad district with his mother, Komal Jain (50) and sister Kavya (22), who were mentally challenged. The mother and her daughter were said to be mentally ill since Komal lost her husband a decade ago.
The matter came to light when the neighbours complained of a foul smell emanating from the flat and informed the police on Sunday, they said.
When the police reached the flat, they broke open the house and found Tejas lying on the floor, while Komal and Kavya were sitting near him, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sahibabad, Rajneesh Kumar Upadhyay said.
The duo claimed that they thought Tejas was sleeping, Mr Upadhyay said.
The neighbours told the police that the family kept lights switched off and never spoke to anyone in the colony. Kavya had to leave her studies after 12th grade due to her illness. Komal's brother, Prashant Jain, who lived in Delhi's Chawri Bazar, was bearing their expenses, the ACP said.
The police found the house in a dirty state and Komal and Kavya were also in poor condition, he said.
Autopsy reports on Tuesday confirmed that Tejas died of septicemia. His last rites will be performed on Wednesday, ACP added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
