Relatives perform last rites; autopsy rules out foul play

Bengaluru: A day after the bodies of an aged couple were found in a house in Sultanpalya, north Bengaluru, their autopsy reports ruled out foul play, terming the deaths natural. The reports, however, didn't specify if starvation was the cause.
Venkoba Rao, a former head constable with the City Armed Reserve Force, and his wife Kaladevi Bai, were supposedly in their 80s.While the man's body lay in a pile of trash in the main hall, the woman's decomposed body was found in the bedroom.
Police said following the postmortem on Wednesday, relatives of the couple performed their last rights. They claimed to have not spoken to them for more than 15 years. Investigators said Kaladevi's body was in the house for at least a week and Venkoba lived there with her body in the other room.
The house in Sultanpalaya remained locked on Wednesday. Several curious onlookers stopped by for a while before getting on with their day. For the neighbours, it was a difficult night. "The smell has considerably reduced, which is a great relief. But it is sad to know that people living next door died in this way," said a neighbour.
The house is yet to be cleared of the garbage horded by the couple over the years. Police said it is still unclear what will happen to the house which costs at least Rs 80 lakh.