A 72-year-old man from Meerut has been arrested for allegedly hiding the body of his daughter inside their house for nearly four months after her death. Police said the skeletal remains of 35-year-old Priyanka were recovered from the family’s residence in the Sadar Bazar area, shocking relatives and local residents. According to investigators, the accused, identified as Uday Bhanu Vishwas, allegedly did not conduct his daughter’s last rites after she died due to prolonged illness in December 2025. Instead, he reportedly locked her body inside a room filled with scrap material and garbage. Police said the remains were found in an advanced stage of decomposition. The case surfaced after relatives became suspicious following months of isolation.
The matter came to light on April 10 when some relatives spotted Uday Bhanu sitting at a tea stall in Begum Bagh after a long absence from the neighbourhood. When they asked about Priyanka, he initially claimed she had been admitted to a hospital in Dehradun for treatment. However, after repeated questioning, he allegedly admitted that she had died and that her body was still inside the house. The relatives immediately informed police, who then reached the residence and broke open the lock. Officers discovered Priyanka’s skeletal remains inside a room barricaded with waste material. Investigators said the elderly man had allegedly sprayed perfume around the house to suppress the smell of decomposition. Family members also claimed he continued living inside the house with the body for several days after her death.
Police subsequently registered a case against Uday Bhanu Vishwas under Sections 239, 271 and 301 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Authorities said the charges relate to concealing a body and failing to ensure a dignified funeral. Officials also noted that the decomposed remains could have posed a health risk to neighbouring residents. During the investigation, police found that the accused had previously undergone counselling at the Psychiatry Department of the local Medical College. Following his arrest, he was again admitted for psychiatric evaluation to assess his mental condition. However, investigators said preliminary findings suggested that his mental state appeared mostly stable. Further medical assessment is still underway as part of the probe.
Neighbours told police that Priyanka had been suffering from prolonged illness and mental health issues for several years. Residents said her father often took her for treatment in a rickshaw and that the two largely lived in isolation after the death of Priyanka’s mother in 2013. According to locals, the family had very limited interaction with others in the area. Police said the investigation remains ongoing and further action will depend on evidence collected during questioning and forensic examination. Authorities are also examining the exact circumstances surrounding Priyanka’s death. The incident has triggered widespread shock in the locality due to the disturbing nature of the allegations and the prolonged concealment of the body.
