A double-storey house with a rusted iron gate and rotten wood stood silent amid the hustle and bustle of north-west Delhi’s Rana Pratap Bagh on Thursday morning. Only a day ago, the bodies of its occupants — 95-year-old Chaman Lal Khosla and his 77-year-old sister Raj Kumari alias Rani Khosla — were discovered by the neighbours, perhaps hours after the brother breathed his last.
The police said the siblings were both unmarried and Chaman Lal, who had been bedridden for over five years, was totally dependent on his sister. It is suspected that Raj Kumari died first, perhaps due to cardiac arrest, as her body was found in a partially decomposed state. The cause of death of Chaman Lal, whose body was found hanging out of his bed, is yet to be ascertained. But it appears to be a case of natural death, said a police officer.
The police said a PCR call was received at 9.43 a.m. on Wednesday informing them about the bodies. “Their nephew tried to reach the siblings on phone but when the call went unanswered, he contacted their neighbour and asked the person to check on them. The neighbour went to their house and discovered the bodies of the siblings,” the officer said.
Presuming the sequence of events, the officer said that it looked like Chaman Lal saw his sister dead but did not have the physical and mental strength to call for help, or may be he “did not even realise that she was dead”.
An officer who was among the first to enter the house said Chaman Lal’s body was lying in the gallery and Raj Kumari's in a room. “Foul smell was emanating from the house. It seems the woman died on Monday. Chaman Lal may have died a few hours before his body was found,” the officer added.
Dilapidated house
Their house looked like it had not been renovated in decades. “Inside, there was hardly any furniture. An old bed, a fridge, a few kitchen appliances were their only possession. The woman’s clothes hanging on the door looked like they had been bought years ago and the man’s nail had not been cut for months,” the officer said.
Talking about the siblings, a neighbour said another unmarried sister lived with them, but she died a few years ago. “Aunty was very active. She used to do all the work herself, be it paying the bills or going out for any work. Uncle was mostly bedridden and totally dependent on her. They did not have any house help,” she said, adding that the siblings hardly interacted with the neighbours.
“The milkman said he saw aunty on Monday morning and she told him not to come on Tuesday,” the neighbour added.
After performing the last rites of the siblings, their brother, who lives in Anand Vihar, told the police that Chaman Lal never agreed to stay with anyone else. “He was stubborn and found it below dignity to stay with his brother’s family,” he told the police.
