Rogue tenant locks up ailing elderly couple inside their own Vasai home

An elderly couple has allegedly been abused and forced into house arrest by their tenant of eight years who paid rent only for the first year after he moved into the flat in 2011 He is allegedly trying to usurp the Vasai property Compounding the couples misery are trespassing cases being filed against anyone trying to help them mdash be it neighbours or the housing societys office bearers The local police have refused to comment on the sensitive issue saying they are not allowed toAmid this the couples only son has threatened to immolate himself if anything happens to his confined parents Zarina Banoo Pirani 67 and her bedridden husband suffering from dementia Shaban Ali Pirani 75 have been confined to the bedroom of the 2BHK house in Mirchandani Garden IRIS Co in Vasai by the tenant Raj Sharma for almost two monthsZarina ended up inside the house on September 24 when she and her cousin confronted Sharma He pulled my mother inside and hit her with a chapatti tavaa on the back When my aunt tried to help he assaulted her with a knife She suffered a cut on her finger said Salim Pirani Zarinas sonSalim and Rashmi send a bag of supplies up to Zarina right who hauls it upAlthough a case of outraging a womans modesty was registered against Sharma at Manikpur police station instead of arresting him cops asked the couple to share the flat with himSince then Sharma has not allowed anyone including Salim to meet them Zarina also the flats owner suffers from low blood pressure and arthritisAccording to my fathers neurologist he is living his last days I live in Dahisar with my wife and son Salim told middaySalim and Rashmi send a bag of suppliesSalim used to work in Dubai and returned to India a couple of years ago Ever since Sharma and his wife stopped paying rent Zarina and Shaban mdash and later Salim mdash had been waiting for them to vacate the houseSupplies tied to ropeMy wife Rashmi and I get food milk snacks tea water etc When my mother requested him to open the door Sharma abused her So she started lowering down a rope from the seventhfloor flat to which we tie a bag with supplies for her to pull up However she told me over the phone that Sharma checks those too and lets them eat only plain food He either throws away stuff such as kheer fruits and sweets or eats them himself He tells my mother that it is not a hotel no aishoaraam eat plain food to live a tearyeyed Salim said He also claimed that Sharmas wife has falsely accused him of molestationManikpur police are not taking any action against Sharma for reasons best known to them added Salim who works in an aviation firm in PrabhadeviZarinas injury after Raj Sharma allegedly hit her with a tavaA neighbour Maninder Singh Kohli told midday The window through which Zarina auntie takes food does not have a grill It is a scary sight as she may fall while lowering the ropeMy mother often complains of dizziness If she falls down who will be responsible Or what if Sharma pushes her out of the window These worries haunt me all the time Salim addedMy fathers medical examination is due If anything happens to my parents I will immolate myself here in this society The Manikpur police Sharma and his wife will be responsible for my death Cops have been telling me that this is a civil matter and they cannot do anything Salim saidHelpers accused of trespassZarina and her cousin in a scuffle with himFranky Jathanna 47 told midday I was at home when the security guard told me that an elderly woman is being beaten up at the seventh floor and her cousin needs help Naturally people will jump to rescue anyone being thrashed But whoever gathered was booked for trespass by Manikpur policeThe security guard Sarvesh Dubey confirmed having informed the chairman secretary and other prominent members of the housing society after he heard the commotion on September 24Seven people including Zarina her daughterinlaw Rashmi her cousins Gulzar and Mumtaz Kohli Piranis advocate Sandeep Patil and Jathanna were booked for assault and trespass by Sharma said Prakash Lodaya secretary of the society He added that outstanding maintenance bill for the said flat is nearly Rs 140 lakh After the incident the neighbours stopped interveningNo electricityShaban Pirani who is suffering from dementia and is bedriddenWhenever Sharma and his wife step out they lock Zarina and Shaban in Salim alleged the duo wants to occupy the flat He also added that they often cut electricity to his parents roomLast week I could not reach my motherinlaws mobile for three days I informed the Palghar police and managed to speak to her when one cop visited the flat She couldnt charge the phone as there was no power Also they had no drinking water The cops got them a few bottles in the middle of the night said RashmiZarinas cousin suffered a cut on her finger after allegedly being assaulted by SharmaWhen midday contacted Sharma he refused to comment On the other hand the senior inspector of Manikpur police Rajendra Kamble refused to comment on the sensitive matter and gave the cryptic reply We are not allowed to speak on the matterPolice speakSources at Palghar police told midday that there was a Memorandum of Understanding MoU between Sharma and the Piranis before the purchase of the flat in 2011 from its previous owners Sandeep and Shraddha More However Salim denied having signed an MoU But yes he had made a part payment to buy the flat while the ownership was in my mothers name Also I have returned Rs 225 lakh to Sharma he claimed The Deputy Superintendent of Police Vasai division Dr Ashwini Patil refused to say much saying it is a civil dispute Sharma had transferred over Rs 20 lakh to the Mores but the Agreement for Sale was made in the name of Zarina Bano Pirani No proof has been given by the Piranis to justify that they returned the money to Sharma she saidCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events 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