Mumbai: Elderly woman found abandoned in Aarey, family traced

The roadside garbage dump in Aarey Milk Colony; (right) The woman lying in a pile of garbage in Aarey Milk Colony. Pics/By Special Arrangement

The Aarey police have traced the family of the elderly woman who was found abandoned near a garbage dump in Aarey Milk Colony on Saturday morning. According to police sources, the woman had been living with her grandson in the Poisar area of Kandivli East. On the day of the incident, the 70-year-old reportedly left home around 7 pm while her grandson and his wife were at work. The family claims they do not know when she left the house or how she ended up in Aarey Milk Colony.

Speaking with mid-day, the woman's grandson, Sagar Shewale, expressed shock and confusion. "I was surprised to learn that my grandmother was found in Aarey and that she had told police I dropped her there. I have no idea how she got there," he said.

Sagar works as an office boy with an Andheri-based company and lives with his wife - a housemaid - their 10-year-old son, and his grandmother, who moved in with the family about a year ago. She previously resided alone in a rented house in Poisar. "My grandfather passed away when I was a child. Since then, ‘nani' had been living alone. She owned a small shop on the footpath outside Dena Bank on SV Road in Kandivli West, which she had rented out for R10,000 a month," he said. Sagar brought her to his house after his mother, who used to care for the woman, passed away last year.

The woman had developed a large growth on her nose due to diabetes and reportedly attempted to treat it herself by bursting it using a candle flame. This resulted in an open wound that worsened over time and eventually became gangrenous. Her mental health, Sagar said, had also been deteriorating.

"She used to talk out of context. On Friday night, her condition was particularly bad. She kept saying someone was trying to throw her out. My son got so scared that we had to send him to the neighbour's house to sleep," he added.

According to the police, the photograph of the unidentified elderly woman was circulated across all police stations. Kandivli police identified her and traced her to a shop. Upon further inquiry at the shop, they obtained her residential address. From there, they retrieved the contact number of her grandson and immediately informed him.

Speaking with mid-day, a police officer said, "We have recorded the statement of the woman's grandson. He claims that he did not abandon his grandmother. However, the question remains, how did she end up in such a condition, so far from home? When questioned, the woman had initially told us that her grandson had dropped her off at the spot."

"We are currently investigating all angles and will take appropriate action based on the findings once the truth comes to light," said Senior Police Inspector Ravindra Patil.