Two elderly women found dead in central Delhi home
Two elderly women, aged around 80 years each, were found dead inside their locked home in New Rajinder Nagar in central Delhi on Thursday morning. The bodies was discovered after a maid noticed a foul smell emanating from the premises and alerted police. No signs of forced entry, ransacking, or disturbance were found inside the house, and no external injury marks were found on either body.
The women were identified as Chandra Kanta and Saroj Bala. The two had been living together for a long time. Saroj Bala was unmarried. Chandra Kanta was her sister-in-law.
According to the DCP Central's incident report, information was received at around 10:30 am. Upon reaching the premises, police found both women lying unconscious inside a room. One body was found lying on a bed. The other was found lying on the floor. Local enquiry with neighbours did not reveal any signs of foul play at this stage, though police say all angles are being examined thoroughly.
Both bodies have been sent to RML Hospital for post-mortem proceedings under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. Further legal action will follow after the post-mortem examination.
The circumstances point to the kind of tragedy that is not uncommon in Delhi's older residential neighbourhoods, where elderly people living alone or in pairs can go unnoticed for days. Chandra Kanta was reportedly bedridden and unable to move without assistance. Saroj Bala, who also needed support to walk, is understood to have been the one caring for her. That two women in this condition could lie dead inside a locked house for what appears to have been at least two days without anyone raising an alarm underlines the isolation that marks the lives of many elderly residents in the city.
