It appeared that the body was four-five days old, police said. (Representational)
A 45-year-old man allegedly hid the body of his dead mother in his house for days in the Gulriha area, police said on Tuesday.
The man told the police that he was not able to perform the last rites of his mother as he had no money. However, the police said the man was alcoholic and mentally unstable.
The body was recovered on Tuesday after a foul smell emanated from the house and the neighbours alerted the police.
A police team rushed to the house at Shivpur-Shahbazganj and found the body of a woman identified as Shanti Devi (82), a retired government teacher, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), North, Manoj Kumar Awasthi said.
It appeared that the body was four-five days old, he added.
Awasthi said woman's son Nikhil Mishra alias Dabbu is an alcoholic and mentally unsound.
He was not able to tell properly what had happened in the house, the ASP added.
"The son said that his mother died five days ago but he was not able to perform the last rites due to lack of money," the police officer said.
The body has been sent for post-mortem and the action will be taken on the basis of the report, he said.
The woman had only one son, the ASP said.
As per sources, Mishra's wife and his son were also living in the house. But she, along with her son, went to her parents' home 15 days ago as Mishra used to fight with her.
Some tenants also used to live in the house but due to the behaviour of Mishra, they too left a month ago, they said.
Police said a detailed probe into the matter is on.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)