"Starved, Reduced To Bones": Brother Held Delhi Woman Captive For 2 Years

The 50-year-old woman was allegedly only given one piece of bread every four days for two years

A 50-year-old woman, allegedly held captive by her brother for two years, was found lying in her own excreta in Delhi's Rohini. The Delhi Commission for Women said it rescued her from her brother's house. She was allegedly kept in horrific conditions and given only one piece of bread every four days.

The woman was found on an open terrace at her brother's house. She had been starving for several days, the DCW said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that she was "reduced to bones."

"50 year old woman tortured, starved and held captive by own brother for 2 years. When we rescued her from terrace, she was lying in her excreta. She is unable to talk, walk and even recognise people," DCW chief Swati Maliwal said on Twitter, adding that an FIR has been filed against the accused but he is yet to be arrested.

"I am deeply shocked at the inhuman manner in which the lady has been treated. She is only 50 years, but she looks as though she is over 90. Her starvation is so extreme that she was unable to look after her basic needs," Ms Maliwal said in another tweet.

The DCW was alerted to the situation when another brother of the woman called the DCW helpline number and informed them about the woman being held captive in the house. The DCW responded by immediately sending a team to the spot.

When the residents of the house refused to open the gate, the DCW enlisted help from the police to enter the house, news agency IANS reported.

The team finally entered the house by climbing the neighbour's roof. They found the 50-year-old woman lying on her open terrace in "pathetic" conditions.

The woman reportedly told the DCW that she was only given a piece of bread once in four days for the past two years. Nobody was allowed to visit her for that time, she reportedly said.

The woman has been admitted to a local hospital.

"The condition of the lady was pathetic. She has been starving for several days and reduced to bones. She was kept on open terrace which had no room or toilets and the terrace contained piles of the excreta of the woman," the DCW said in a statement.

A DCW member told news agency IANS that an FIR has been registered at Rohini Sector 7 Police Station against the woman's brother.

Swati Maliwal urged citizens to report more such incidents so  that more girls and women could be saved.

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With inputs from IANS