An elderly woman was discovered lying in a garbage dump in Mumbai’s Aarey Colony last week. Initially, her family denied any involvement, claiming she had wandered off on her own. However, in a shocking development, her grandson has now confessed to dumping her there. Three family members are currently facing charges in connection with the incident.
The woman, Yashoda Gaikwad, was discovered by Mumbai Police in Aarey Colony’s Unit 32 and was admitted to Cooper Hospital for treatment, news agency PTI reported.
“Yashoda Gaikwad was the woman’s name, she told us, and she had been living with her grandson in Malad. She alleged that he took her to Aarey and left her there,” said a police officer. “The two addresses she gave were useless because no one was residing there.”
Her parents initially said Yashoda had gone out of the house by herself — something they said she used to do. Police informed NDTV that Yashoda had also exhibited signs of mental anguish the previous day, such as aggressive behaviour and trying to strangle herself.
But this account did not hold water after CCTV footage from a hospital surfaced. It depicted Yashoda’s grandson Sagar Shewale and his uncle Babasaheb Gaikwad bringing her to the hospital and then taking her out. It is said they tried to admit her but the hospital refused.
Under coercion from another round of police interrogation, Sagar confessed to leaving behind his grandmother. Upon his return home from the hospital around 3:30 am, he and his uncle hired the services of an auto-rickshaw driver to drop off Yashoda to a secluded part in Aarey, where they left her among a heap of trash.
A complaint has now been lodged against three of Yashoda’s relatives. While no one has been arrested as yet, Sagar and Babasaheb have been booked under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for negligence, and under Section 24 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, for abandoning her.
