KOLKATA: In the city, a 46-year-old man has chopped his dead mother's body and stuffed the parts inside a refrigerator. After stuffing the body, he sealed the ground floor room with two air conditioners. According to the reports, he made a tomb for his mother in the middle-class Behala neighbourhood. He was living with the body and his 89-year-old dad, in the same house, for almost three years.

On Thursday, the police got the tip-off from the neighbours and a local news channel. Cops arrested Subhabrata Majumdar and questioned his sick dad, Gopal Chandra Majumdar. Subhabrata told police that he believed his mother could be brought back to life. After this, his dad said he “just went along” with his son. The forensic team confirmed that they have found certain “separated body parts” in the mansion.

Cops initially detained Subhabrata for questioning, during which the latter said he was certain his mother would return to life. His father, Gopal, was less consistent and went on changing his statement. 

“But we have allowed him to stay back at his residence as he is ill. He seemed to know about his son’s plans,” deputy commissioner of police (Behala) Nilanjan Biswas said. The forensic team picked up evidence, including chemicals like formalin that were used to preserve Bina’s body.

According to the sources, Subhabrata claimed that one of his cousins was aware of what was going on. He said that he was inspired to take this route after he and his mother watched a documentary on the subject just before her death.

Deputy commissioner Biswas, who led the raid, said the Behala police station received a call around 1.30 a.m. on Thursday. “A team visited the residence. Subhabrata and Gopal came out but denied anything with practised confidence. We searched the ground floor and found a freezer with a body stuffed inside,” Biswas said.

Bina was a retired senior manager from the FCI. According to the neighbours, they were aware of Bina’s death. “She passed away one morning and we saw a hearse arrive. But no one was asked to go to the crematorium and no one saw the body being brought back to the house. We suspected something amiss about one-and-a-half years ago when huge air-conditioners were installed but did not meddle in their affairs,”neighbour explained.

Neighbours also claimed that the father-son relation was not great as Subhabrata wanted to marry a cousin. “Subhabrata used to stay away at night. He would visit the house with food but, on most occasions, would leave after serving dinner to his dad,” a neighbour said. The police, though, declared there was no evidence that he was married.

A team of psychiatrists will carry out a psycho-analysis of Subhabrata. Cops will also question the cousin, the two doms and the doctor who issued the death certificate.