Couple's greed for property turned UP home into 5-year prison; gory details emerge
A 70-year-old man and his mentally challenged daughter were allegedly held captive and starved for five years by their domestic help in UP's Mahoba district. The case surfaced after the man's death, revealing his emaciated state and his daughter's skeletal condition. Relatives allege the couple sought to seize the family's property.
A 70-year-old retired railway clerk and his 27-year-old mentally challenged daughter were allegedly held captive and starved in their own house for five years.
KANPUR: A 70-year-old retired railway clerk and his 27-year-old mentally challenged daughter were allegedly held captive and starved in their own house for five years by their domestic help couple in UP’s Mahoba district.
The chilling case of cruelty came to light after the man, Omprakash Rathore, died.Some of his relatives, who reached the house on Monday after receiving news of Rathore’s death, were shocked by the scene there and called police. Rathore’s body had considerably shrunk, indicating he could have died a few days ago. His daughter was found in a dark room, looking skeletal. Rathore’s body was sent for autopsy, while his daughter was admitted to a hospital.
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Mahoba SP Vandana Singh said the postmortem report stated the cause of death to be chronic lung disease.“The deceased’s daughter was said to be mentally disabled and was found very weak at the scene. Family members have made allegations against the two domestic help. Investigation has revealed these two had been taking care of the deceased and his daughter for the past eight years,” she said.Rathore, his brother Amar Singh said, hired the couple as domestic help after his wife’s death in 2016 to take care of him and his daughter.
However, driven by the greed to grab his property, the duo pushed him to death, he alleged. The couple gradually took over the entire house and confined the father and daughter to the ground floor rooms, while they lived comfortably on the upper floor.Singh alleged that the couple never allowed any relative to visit Rathore and his daughter, saying the two did not want to meet anyone.Relatives claimed that the couple had access to the bank accounts of the deceased and had even put their own nameplate on the house.Police, however, said the initial probe had revealed that Rathore’s family members had never made any attempt to take care of him and his daughter.“The allegations made by the relatives are being investigated. Action will be taken based on that,” said an officer.