A foul, putrid smell had caused a man to mistakenly think that his tenant was dead, when he was in fact, very much alive.
A man identified only as Old Wang was taking his usual stroll in the morning when he decided to check up on his tenant, Xiao He.
However upon arriving at the house, Old Wang was greeted by a foul odour and realised that the front door was unlocked. He went in to discover Xiao He with his eyes closed and foaming at the mouth.
Thinking his tenant had died, he fled to the nearest police station to make a report. He was quoted by China News as saying: “There is a rotting dead person inside my house!”
Police then accompanied Old Wang back to the house to investigate.
“As soon as I entered the room the stench hit me, this sour, rotten smell. I didn’t bring my face mask either, so it was even worse,” said a police officer to China News.
The officer described the young man on the bed as completely rigid, eyes tightly shut with a deathly pale complexion. Soon after, medical personnel arrived and began examining the body for signs of life.
It was when they removed the blanket from Xiao He’s body to check his heartbeat, that Xiao He immediately sat up straight and opened his eyes. His movement was so sudden and unexpected that it caused a paramedic at the scene to fall down.
“I was so scared, you see a rigid foul-smelling corpse suddenly sit up, I was terrified!” said the paramedic to China News.
After further investigation, medical personnel then clarified that Xiao He was epileptic, and that Old Wang had walked in on him experiencing an epileptic fit.
When asked why there had been a rotten smell in the house, Xiao He admitted that he had not showered for over a month due to limited funds. The rotten, putrid smell had come from his unwashed feet.
mldas@sph.com.sg
