NEW DELHI: The decapitated body of a Delhi University professor was found on railway tracks and his mother was found hanging from a ceiling fan with her mouth stuffed with cloth at their flat in Pitampura, police said on Sunday.
Alan Stanley (27), who hailed from Kottayam in Kerala, was found dead on tracks at Sarai Rohilla railway station on Saturday.
Earlier that day, his mother Lissy (55) was found hanging at the flat in Ashiana Apartment, they said.
Stanley was a guest professor at St Stephen's College, where he taught Philosophy, and was also pursuing Phd from another institute.
Police suspect, Stanley committed suicide after killing his mother.
However, no suicide note was recovered with Stanley's body, but a note written in Malayalam was found at the flat.
Police said they are probing all angles.
They have registered a murder case under section 302 of Indian Penal Code at Rani Bagh police station after they found his mother dead at the flat.
The mother-son duo were in depression because of an abetment-to-suicide case pending against them in Kerala, and both were on anticipatory bail.
A few days ago, Stanley had shared about it with his friends who tried to convince him to not take any extreme step, a police officer said.
Stanley was living in Delhi for five years and his mother came to stay with him seven months ago.
Witness said Stanley was suicidal and they said he had told them five days ago that he had tried to force his mother to commit suicide but she refused.
"We learnt about the tragic news this morning. We are in shock. I had interacted with him when we were speaking to teachers in the lead up to Delhi University Teachers' Association polls. We do not know what prompted him to take such a step. He was teaching Philosophy at the college," said professor Nandita Narain, who was Stanley's colleague at St Stephen's College.
The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, police said.