Mum locked herself and son in house for three years to escape Covid
A mum locked herself and her son, 10, in their house without letting anyone else in for three years to wait out the coronavirus pandemic.
When India went into its first lockdown in 2020, Munmun Majhi, 33, shut herself and her child in their home in Gurugram, in Haryana State.
Pictures show the mess that built up in the property over time, including piles of clothes, hair and empty packets.
Ms Majhi would not even let her husband, Sujan Majhi, in when he came home from work.
Mr Majhi, an engineer, initially couch-surfed between friends and relatives while continuing to pay his rent on the house and regularly leaving groceries outside.
Eventually, he had no other option but to rent another flat for himself.
At some point, the husband went to the police for help but the situation was so bizarre, they did not believe him.
When one of the officers finally called Ms Majhi, she insisted she and her son were ‘absolutely fit’.
The cop developed a relationship with the mum and they had a video call.
‘When I saw the child, I became emotional – his hair had grown to his shoulders,’ the officer said.
He continued: ‘His mum was in a panic over Covid. She had no intention 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.’
The police ‘finally managed to convince her’ to leave the house on Wednesday, when the officer she had been chatting to asked her to go to the station.
She was taken to hospital while other cops broke into the house to get the boy.
He had spent his time drawing and writing on the walls and reportedly had no human contact with anyone but his mum for the entire three years.
After finding the child in one of the bedrooms, officers immediately took him to the hospital.
Gurgaon civil surgeon Dr Virender Yadav said: ‘A medical team, including psychiatrists, is evaluating them.
‘The woman has psychological issues. Both of them have been referred to the Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in the city of Rohtak.
‘They have been admitted to the psychiatric ward for treatment.’
Mr Majhi said: ‘I am happy they are out. I have to take care of their health. Now they are being treated. I hope my life will be back on track soon.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.