Neighbours say Deepti used to be a school topper.
A shocking story of a mother keeping her young daughter in captivity for four years has been reported from Madhya Pradesh's Dewas town, 35 km from Indore.
27-year-old Deepti was rescued on Wednesday after neighbours called the police. Too weak to even walk, she had to be carried out and taken to the hospital.
Deepti's mother, Mridula, is to be sent for psychological assessment. Doctors say she was reportedly depressed following the death of her husband and her son deserting them. She worked as a supervisor in the government's women and child welfare department and opted for voluntary retirement last year.
The mother would spend most of the time inside her house with her daughter, with minimal contact with the outside world. "We tried to check on the mother and the daughter, but they rarely used to open the door. At times she used to partly open the door and tell people to go away," a neighbour, Sona Devi, said.
Neighbours say Deepti was a class XII topper but was never sent to college. Poor nutrition and no exposure to fresh air or sunlight has ruined her health.
Doctors are hopeful that with medical help, Deepti will recover soon. "She is malnourished, but the reason does not seem to be starvation, but her sickness," Dr Vidya Velenkar said.