Members of a Mulund housing society, who had been complaining about foul smell coming from a flat, were in for a shock on Thursday when the police finally entered the flat. The high-end 2,000 sqft apartment, estimated to be worth Rs3 crore, was covered almost till the ceiling with heaps and heaps of garbage, while a paralysed 86-year-old woman lay on a cot.
According to the Mulund police, the infuriated residents of the Gair society stated in their numerous complaints that the flat had been stinking for the last few months. "When we reached the flat, we could smell a strong odour of rotten garbage coming from inside. The main door was locked so we made a duplicate key and attempted to enter. But the loads of garbage were blocking it. Finally, we had to break the door," said a police officer.
The police team was taken aback to see the mountains of rubbish and immediately started the cleaning process. They were, however, in for an even bigger surprise when they noticed an old woman, later identified as Maniben Savla, lying on her bed beneath a heap of rotting garbage. Savla was rushed to the Agrawal hospital, where the doctors diagnosed that she was paralysed.
"Savla had shifted to the flat around 9 years ago but the building residents were unaware of her presence. She has four children, including two daughters. We assume the kids are mentally disturbed. Fearing that somebody might occupy their flat, they had been dumping garbage there for the last eight years. They used to visit the house once daily to give food to their mother, and would later stay on the terrace," said a police officer.
He added, "We called some trucks to clear the mess. In all, eight truck-loads of garbage was disposed off. Later, we instructed the society members to do a pest control check. We also scolded the woman's children and gave them a strict warning to not indulge in such acts in the future." Meanwhile, Savla is still under medical supervision..
