In a case that could give a thriller a run for its money, the city police investigating the death of a septuagenarian in a fire in his home on Thursday stumbled on a man living with the skeletons of his elder sister and two pet dogs for the past six months.
The police investigating a fire on the second floor of 3, Robinson Street in the heart of the city had found the charred body of 77-year-old Arabindo De, the owner of the house, from inside a bathroom last night.
“Following last night’s incident we had posted two constables outside De’s flat. De’s son Partho (45) on seeing them started reacting abnormally,” Special Additional Commissioner of Police(Crime) Pallab Kanti Ghosh told reporters today.
Police had initially thought his behaviour was due to the grief of losing his father. But when they questioned Partho, he came out with the bizarre story of storing his elder sister’s skeleton and those of the two pet dogs inside the house, Ghosh said.
Police conducted a search and found three skeletons allegedly belonging to his elder sister Debjani (50) and two pet dogs from one room and a suicide note purportedly written by the father from another room.
The note dated June 8 this year said none was responsible for his death.
Ghosh said that during interrogation Partho told the police that Debjani was depressed after the death of two dogs last year and had stopped eating. She died six months ago.
“We found ample dry food near the skeletons, which Partho said he was feeding his sister and the dogs,” the ACP said.
“We believe Partho could not accept his sister’s death and did not cremate her body. We have sent him to a mental hospital. We are taking medical help to ascertain whether he is mentally stable or not,” Ghosh said.
No case has been registered in this connection and none was arrested, Ghosh said adding all the three skeletons were sent for forensic examination.
Ghosh said besides covering windows and doors of the apartment with thick cloth, Partho had blocked even small holes on window frames with tapes probably to stop the smell of the decomposed bodies from going out.
Inside the three rooms as well as in the bathrooms, Partho, a B Tech graduate had set up a sound system and used to play records of American evangelists, he said.
