Widow hid husband’s ‘mummified corpse’ in home for 18 months

A grieving widow kept the “mummified” corpse of her husband hidden inside her home for 18 months — and used a cleaning disinfectant to keep the flesh from rotting.

The unidentified woman, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, India, reportedly refused to believe that her spouse had passed away on April 22 last year.

According to the Indian Express, the 35-year-old victim, named Vimlesh, succumbed to “bilateral pneumonia” brought on by a COVID-19 infection.

However, his distraught wife insisted that he was only in a coma, and kept his corpse concealed in a room at their home.

She purportedly used Dettol — a popular disinfectant and antiseptic cleaning product — to wipe down his body, which stopped bacteria from growing on the skin.

The widow also allegedly gave her husband’s corpse regular oil massages and sprinkled holy water known as “gangaja” over his body in an attempt to awaken him from the “coma.”

An air conditioning unit was also kept running in the room 24 hours a day, with neighbors failing to notice any odor emanating from the home.

The Free Press Journal reports that other family members, including Vimlesh’s parents and brothers, were also involved in trying to preserve the corpse.

Prior to his death, Vimlesh reportedly worked as an income tax officer. His corpse was only uncovered by authorities after his workplace finally lodged an official complaint claiming that he had not been at work since April 2021.

Officials reported Vimlesh’s skin had turned black from the unusual treatment – likening the process to that which was performed on Egyptian mummies.

His body was removed from the home last week, before being cremated on Friday.

It’s reported that his widow and other family members will not face criminal charges over their actions.