Hyderabad, Oct 29 (IANS): In a heart-wrenching incident an elderly, visually challenged couple lived with the corpse of their son for four days, unaware of his passing away.

The incident came to light on Tuesday in Andhu Colony in Nagole when neighbouring smelled a foul smell emanating from the house and alerted the police.

Police found the body of a 32-year-old man in the house with the couple, aged over 60, in a semi-conscious state. The couple were rescued and given food and water.

The couple told police that they tried calling out to their son for food and water, but did not get any response.

Police suspect that the young man died in his sleep. His body was sent to government-run Osmania Hospital for autopsy, a police official said.

Nagole Police Station under the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate registered a case and took up an investigation.

According to Surya Nayak, Circle Inspector, Nagole police station, the voices of the couple were feeble and that is probably why their neighbours could also not hear them.

Police investigations revealed that 60-year-old Kaluva Ramana, a retired government employee, and his wife, Shantikumari, were living in the rented house along with their younger son, Pramod (32), who was an alcoholic.

Pramod was deserted by his wife who took both their daughters with her. Police suspect that he died in sleep. Police were waiting for an autopsy report to reach a conclusion about the cause of the death.

Police informed the couple's elder son Pradeep, who lives in another part of the city. The couple was entrusted to his care.

In a similar incident in 2022, a 22-year-old man, who was said to be mentally unsound, had spent three days with the body of her mother at their flat in an apartment building in Hyderabad.

Police had found the body of the woman in a decomposed state after neighbours alerted them about the foul smell emanating from the flat.

The incident had occurred under the limits of Malkajgiri police station.