Gurugram woman locked herself, son in house due to fear of Covid-19; rescued after 3 yrs

A team of police officials on Tuesday reportedly rescued a 33-year-old woman and her minor son from an apartment where she supposedly locked herself and her son for three years fearing the Covid-19 pandemic, according to media reports.

The woman, identified as Munmun Majhi, and her 10-year-old son were rescued after a team comprising police, health department, and child welfare officials broke open the front door after the unusual incident was brought to the notice of police officials by the 33-year-old’s husband.

The woman’s husband, Sujan Majhi, reportedly reached out to assistant sub-inspector Praveen Kumar deployed at Chakkarpur police post on February 17 informing him of the incident.

“The Police were instructed to file a complaint and teams were sent to the flat. The woman locked herself and her son due to the fear of covid. She asked the husband to get another flat as he went outside for work. He used to send her the money and got them groceries,” detailed Usha Solanki, a Child Welfare Committee Member.

“His mother was in panic over Covid. She had no intent of stepping out. She kept saying, ‘I will not let my son step out because he will die immediately…I kept talking to her, kept asking her if she needs any help. I think she started trusting me. So when I called her to the police station today, she came, but the child was not with her. We finally managed to convince her. She was taken to a hospital, and we then went to the flat to rescue the child,” police officials detailed to media outlets.

“There was so much garbage inside that if a few more days had passed, anything untoward could have happened,” assistant sub-inspector Praveen Kumar detailed the rescue operation.

According to media reports, the woman did not let her husband enter the rented residence where she and her son resided after he went to the office as workspaces started opening up after the first lockdown, and instructed the husband, who works as an engineer, to find another accommodation for work purposes.

For the first few days after he was turned away at his door, Sujan resorted to lodging with friends and family until eventually getting another rented place in the same area as the other house. Sujan would also provide groceries to his wife alongside taking care of expenses like electricity bills, rent and the child’s school fees.

Media reports further add that the woman did not use cooking gas or storage water for three years in fear of covid.

“Both the woman and her son have been rescued and taken to the hospital. Her son is now 11 years old. The woman’s mental condition will also be examined,” Solanki added.

“The woman has some psychological issues. Both of them are referred to PGI, Rohtak where they are admitted to psychiatric ward for treatment,” stated Dr Virender Yadav, Civil Surgeon, Gurugram.