This Man Spent His Last 10 Years Locked-Up In A Room By His Family. He Is 22 Now

A 22-year-old youth, Raj Patel, allegedly confined to a room by his family due to his mental illness, was "rescued" by an NGO on Friday .

Casey Muir-Taylor

Surprisingly, the family was the only one to occupy a flat in the fully vacant building in Belapur, without water or power connection. Police officials claimed all the 12 family members were literally starving as Rushabh Patel (54), the sole breadwinner of the family, was jobless after suffering a huge loss in the share market.

Raj has 9 siblings

The family comprised Rushabh, Raj, his two siblings from Rushabh's first estranged wife and seven children from his second wife.They have been residing in Sanchayani residential complex in sector-15, CBD-Belapur, reportedly under litigation af ter a dispute with the builder.
NGO Damini Sena's president Sharda Shah said, "When I visited the Patel family's flat, the youth was found locked inside a room with unbearable stink, it was probably not cleaned for years. The youth's father and stepmother used to give him food through the window grille, that too once in 3-4 days. They claimed he was locked inside the room as he used to turn violent. We summoned the CBD police and admitted the fragile and malnourished youth to DY Patil Hospital in Nerul."

They say it's not torture but a necessity

Riya Patel (20), sister of the youth, said, "My brother Raj is reportedly suffering from schizophrenia and hence my parents were compelled to lock him in a room. We reside on the ninth floor and there was a possibility that when Raj turned violent, he could have jumped off the building. The family members have never subjected him to physical torture."

CBD police station's senior police inspector Meera Bansode said, "The allegations by the NGO that Raj Patel was tortured are baseless. The youth was mentally ill. The youth's father, the sole breadwinner, was jobless and could not support his family members. Also, as the building was under litigation, there was no water connection and power supply to the building."
DY Patil hospital's media spokesperson Dr Shyam More said, "Diagnosis of Patel has revealed that he is suffering from chronic mental illness. Probably, the ailment is since birth. His mental health was probably triggered by lack of medical attention at home."

(Originally published in The Times Of India | Image for representative image only)