Daughter ‘hid body of mother in freezer’

Daulat Irani, 83, is said to have kept the body in a freezer at her home in Sidcup because she feared the authorities would discover her elderly mother had been living here illegally if she made the death public.

Neighbours believe the woman died of natural causes before Mrs Irani wrapped the body in a bin bag and put it in a chest freezer in the garage.

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "She's a very private person. She's very clean and tidy and keeps her garden in good condition. Obviously it was shocking when the police came and told me what had happened.

"They said they believed the body had been in the freezer for more than 20 years. I think it was an immigration thing because her mum was illegal and they didn't want anyone to know."

Ray Dyson, 77, a retired warehouse worker who lives near Mrs Irani, said: "She's a nice old lady who goes about her own business quietly.

"The first we knew was when two police cars and an officer in a full forensic bodysuit turned up. They taped-off the garage and have now put a padlock on it.

"It was obviously more serious than a burglary so I asked if she was okay and the police said she was fine."

It is believed that Mrs Irani confided her secret to a friend, who then alerted police.

A neighbour said: "I think she just needed to tell someone and whoever she spoke to passed it on to the police. I saw her after the police visited and she told me they questioned her for hours. I told her it wasn't surprising considering what they'd found. She said the police were going to contact her again soon."

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: "Officers found the body of a woman. We believe we know the identity but await formal identification.

"The death is being treated as unexplained. An 83-year-old woman has been interviewed under caution but there have been no arrests."