An elderly woman was found lying in a garbage pile in Mumbai’s Aarey Colony last week. While her family members initially denied any hand in the incident, the woman’s grandson has now admitted that he dumped her there, and is among three family members against whom a case has been filed.
Yashoda Gaikwad, 60, who reportedly has skin cancer and mental health issues, was found lying among piles of rotting garbage last week. Her pictures were circulated online, and her family was traced in Kandivali, police said.
Her family initially said Yashoda went out of the house on her own, and claimed she had done so in the past as well. According to an NDTV report, police said Yashoda behaved aggressively the day before she was found in the garbage pile and even tried to strangle herself.
A fresh CCTV clip has now countered the family’s claim that Yashoda left the house on her own. Video footage from a hospital showed Yashoda’s grandson Sagar Shewale and his uncle Babasaheb Gaikwad bringing the elderly woman in, but also taking her out. They reportedly wanted to get her hospitalised but she was denied admission.
The CCTV clip did not align with earlier statements by Yashoda’s family, and upon further questioning, Sagar Shewale admitted to dumping his grandmother in a garbage pile. The uncle and nephew got home from the hospital at around 3:30 am, later took help from a rickshaw driver, and abandoned Yashoda.
The Mumbai Police found Yashoda Gaikwad in unit number 32 of Aarey Colony last week, and she was admitted to the Cooper Hospital, according to news agency PTI.
“The woman told us her name was Yashoda Gaikwad and that she used to live with her grandson in Malad. She claimed he brought her to Aarey and dumped her. The two addresses she provided were of no use as no one was staying there,” a police official said.
A case has been registered against three of Yashoda’s family members. Sagar Shewale and his uncle have not been arrested yet, but have been charged under section 125 of BNS (negligence), and under Section 24 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 for abandoning Yashoda.