A woman in India locked herself and her 10-year-old son in her home for three years for fear of contracting Covid-19, authorities said.
The woman, identified as Man Moon Manjhi, and her son are residents of Gurgaon city near Delhi. Authorities rescued her this week after the woman’s husband contacted the local police station.
According to Indian media reports, a team of police, health officials, and the Child Welfare Department reached their residence on Tuesday and broke down the main door to rescue the mother and son.
Videos and photos posted on social media show disturbing scenes of clothes, hair, garbage, dirt and food items scattered inside the house.
According to India media, officials said the woman was allegedly terrified of the pandemic and believed her son would die if he left the house.
According to the newspaper Indian Express, the boy’s father, Soran Manjhi, said, “It was very difficult to convince my wife to take me and my son out because she was worried that both of them would get infected with Covid.” Whenever she would go out, I would accompany her to the nearby market and she would buy many things at once.’
According to a report by Indian news channel NDTV, the woman cuts her and her son’s hair at home and cooks food on an electric stove to avoid outside contact.
Furthermore, the news channel reported that the garbage of the house was not thrown out for three years and during this time the child did not even see the sun.
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While locked in the house, the woman did not allow anyone including her husband to enter the house. Video calls were the husband’s only means of staying connected with his family. They were asked to leave food and other essentials outside the door, he told The Indian Express.
“When I touched my son for the first time after three years, I couldn’t stop the tears,” the child’s father told the newspaper. I kissed her forehead and promised her that our family would be together again like before.’
After being rescued, the mother and son were taken to the hospital for medical attention. The incident has given rise to concerns about the impact of Covid-19 on mental health and the need to maintain mental health during the pandemic.
India is one of the countries with the highest number of deaths due to the spread of Covid-19 in the world, but the number of new cases has decreased to a few hundred in recent months.