Woman held captive by parents for 4 years

Bangalore (IANS): A woman, said to be a commerce graduate and around 35 years, allegedly held in captivity by her parents for about four years in their house in Bangalore was rescued by police on Tuesday. Hemavati (picture above), looking dazed and unkempt with long finger and toe nails, was found by police with only a sheet covering her in her small room in Malleshwaram, one of the oldest localities in north Bangalore. The police shifted her to the National Institute of Neuro Sciences and Mental Health.

Neighbours said they had not seen her for years which made them suspicious. Finally, they went inside her house on Monday, and what they saw was shocking. The woman was lying half-naked on a cloth on the floor. Her family -- parents and a brother -- claims that she suffers from arthritis and is unable to walk. They say she showed no signs of improvement despite their best efforts and has been in this state for the last 4-5 years. Police say she hasn't lodged a complaint against her family. The neighbours, too, have not filed a formal complaint against her parents. Police said they will wait for a few days for the woman to share more details on what had happened in the last few years.