The police are not ruling out foul play and suspect the involvement of the woman’s tenant couple — who are absconding — in the incident.

The victim has been identified as Savitri Devi (73). Her body was found today when her house, which was locked from outside, was opened in the presence of her son by breaking open the lock.

A foul smell emanating from the house had made the neighbours suspicious.

Talking to the media, Savitri Devi’s son Vikas Kumar, a resident of Jalandhar, said his mother was living alone in the house situated on street number 13 of Vishawkarma Colony.

He said his mother had recently given one room of this house on rent to a migrant couple. Vikas said he had been trying to contact his mother for the past some days but she wasn’t answering the phone.

Vikas told the media that he called up a few neighbours to enquire about the well-being of his mother. “The neighbours told me that my mother’s house was locked from outside and no one was at the house. Following this, I rushed here today see my mother,” Vikas said.

Savitri Devi was found dead on her bed under a quilt. Due to the badly decopmosed condition of the body, the cause of death could not be ascertained.

Following a search of the house, Vikas said the gold jewellery of his mother and four suitcases were missing. He suspected the tenants of his mother to be behind the theft.

The Division number 6 police have registered a case against unidentified persons and have started investigating the matter.