A 35-year-old woman, who was allegedly confined in a house for over seven years by her mother at Saarthavalli in Tiptur taluk, was rescued by the police, Tahsildar and officers of Women and Child Welfare department on Friday.
According to the police, officials went to the house which is in a farm and shifted the woman in an ambulance to Tiptur taluk hospital as she was unable to walk and speak.
Later, she was shifted to Tumakuru District Government hospital.
Schizophrenia
District surgeon of the hospital, Dr. Veerabhadraiah told The Hindu , “She is stable, but suffering from schizophrenia and is in depression.”
She needed long term medical treatment and orthopaedic intervention, the doctor said.
The mother, who is also diagnosed as being schizophrenic, is undergoing treated.
As her mother (Gangamma) was very quarrelsome, relatives and villagers never visited the house and where unaware of what was going on inside.
According to villagers, Gangamma was suspicious of her husband having an affair. As her daughter was supporting him, Gangamma confined her to the house.
They say this is not the first time. Around 15 years ago, the mother had confined two of her daughters, suspecting they might marry a man from other caste. Both were working in a biscuit factory at that time. However, the elder sister died 20 days back.
District Program Officer, Women and Child Welfare Department, Vasanthi Uppar, told The Hindu , "Both, the woman and her mother are suffering from schizophrenia. The mother is unable to tell what had happened."
Stating that the mother had not confined her daughters to the house forcibly, Ms. Uppar said no chains were found in the house.
The whereabouts of Gangamma’s husband is not known.
