Mumbai: 79-year-old woman locks herself inside room after brother dies

The police got a COVID test done on Amida, the result is awaited

The decomposed body of a 65-year-old man was found at his Jogeshwari residence, while his sister was found in shock in the bedroom on Saturday. A neighbour alerted the police after a foul smell emanated from the house. The Oshiwara police have registered a Accidental Death Report (ADR) and are investigating the matter further.

The deceased, identified as Karim Gulam Husain Jinha, stayed with his 79-year-old sister Amida at Sagar Tower at Jogeshwari west. The Oshiwara police broke open the main door and later admitted Amida to Cooper hospital. They said a COVID-19 test was conducted on the siblings and the result is awaited. The police said the duo were living at the address for many years.

Neighbours informed police Senior Inspector Sanjay Bendele said, "On Saturday we received a call from Sagar Tower society that the Jinha family was not opening the door and there was a foul smell coming from the residence. Our team reached the spot and broke open the door and found the decomposed body of Karim Jinha in the hall on a sofa. We thought he was alone at home but when we broke open the bedroom door we found his sister Amida inside. Amida was not in a condition to walk and was also unable to talk. We admitted her to Cooper hospital."

Another police officer said, "During the investigation we found that the siblings were not married and stayed together at this flat. Karim ran a chappal business in Mumbai and his sister did not work." The police said neighbours had seen them few days back but later they thought as strict restrictions were imposed due to COVID-19, the siblings were not stepping out.

A police officer further said, "In their house we found everything was messed up, thrown around. We also suspect that they hadn't eaten anything for 7-8 days. After the death of her brother, Amida was in shock and she locked herself in the bedroom. A COVID test has been done on them and Karim's body has been sent for postmortem. We haven't found anything suspicious till now and are waiting for the postmortem report."