A 70-year-old musician was found dead inside his rented home in Delhi’s Govindpuri Extension, five days after his death, after neighbours alerted police over a foul smell coming from the locked house.
According to ETV Bharat, the deceased, identified as Ravi Dey, had been living alone in the area for around two years.
Police recovered his decomposed body near the bathroom after breaking open the door of the house under the Kalkaji police station area.
Neighbours said Dey largely kept to himself and was often seen sitting outside his house, on the staircase or in the lane.
Few, however, knew that he was a musician by profession.
According to neighbours, a strong smell began coming from Dey’s home last week. They informed the police and his landlord, prompting officers to visit the property.
Police broke open the locked door and found Dey’s body inside. By then, it had decomposed considerably.
“One uncle used to often sit outside the gate here. Now we have come to know that he had died five days ago. When the smell from the room became very strong, we neighbours informed the police,” neighbour Pushkar said.
Pushkar said he had not known Dey was a renowned musician.
He recalled that Dey appeared stressed and had been looking for a rented home in the area for some time.
Another neighbour, Hansraj, said he had spoken to Dey in the past and remembered him as a kind person.
“Long ago, I used to talk to him. He was a musician by profession. We came to know about his death only after five days. We had never seen his sons coming here. He used to live alone,” Hansraj said.
Hansraj also recalled seeing a food delivery arrive for Dey around a week earlier.
He said Dey occasionally visited CR Park to eat but generally kept his interactions with neighbours limited to exchanging pleasantries.
Police later contacted Dey’s two sons, who reportedly live in nearby Lajpat Nagar.
According to IANS, the sons initially refused to come to the house and told police that they had no connection with their father.
Police subsequently persuaded them to come to AIIMS, where Dey’s body had been taken for post-mortem examination.
The sons arrived at the hospital on 16 August and, after completing the required formalities, took custody of their father’s body to perform his last rites.
Dey had reportedly lived in the neighbourhood for about two years and generally kept to himself.
A woman living nearby said residents often saw him sitting alone or smoking on the staircase but knew little about his personal life.
“We didn’t know much about him. We would see him as we passed through the lane,” she said.
The circumstances surrounding Dey’s death have not yet been established. Police are continuing to look into the matter.
