A septuagenarian man, who was allegedly abandoned by his family during the COVID-19 lockdown and did not have a job, has been helped by the Adyar police to earn his livelihood again.
The man, who had lost his job as a security guard at a private company, which shut down during the lockdown, was staying at a friend’s house in Velachery as his family did not take care of him.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Adyar, V. Vikraman, the man approached the local police and told them about his predicament of being jobless. “He and his friend had heard about our initiative to help people contact us through video calls on WhatsApp. That’s how he got in touch with us,” Mr. Vikraman told The Hindu . The DCP said that the man did not wish to depend on anyone for livelihood and wanted to lead a life of dignity. “He was reluctant to share details about his family members. He did not want free food. All he wanted was a job,” he said.
Following this, Mr. Vikraman asked Adyar Inspector, Christin Jayasil, to look for a job for the elderly man in the surrounding areas.
“We had two options before us -- either place him in any of the old age homes or get him a job at any firm. But old age homes are hesitating to admit new residents during the pandemic. Besides, the petitioner also did not wish to go to a home,” said Mr. Jayasil. “Therefore, we spoke to a couple of private security agencies and finally a security agency in Kotturpuram agreed to give him a job with food and accommodation,” he added.
The septuagenarian petitioner thanked the Deputy Commissioner and his subordinates for the help and has joined duty with the security agency.
