A mum locked herself and her 10-year-old son in their home without letting anyone in for three years to wait out the coronavirus pandemic.
When India entered its first lockdown of 2020, Munmun Majhi, 33, locked herself and her child in their home in Gurugram, Haryana state.
The photos show the mess that has built up at the property over time, including piles of clothes, hair and empty packages.
Mrs. Majhi would not even let her husband, Sujan Majhi, in when he returned from work.
Mr Majhi, an engineer, initially couch-surfed between friends and relatives while continuing to pay the house rent and regularly drop off groceries.
Eventually, he had no choice but to rent another apartment for himself.
At one point, the husband went to the police for help but the situation was so strange that they did not believe him.
When one of the officers finally called Mrs Majhi, she insisted she and her son were “absolutely fit”.
The officer developed a relationship with the mom and they had a video call.
“When I saw the child, I was moved – his hair had grown to his shoulders,” the officer said.
He continued: “His mum was panicking about Covid. He had no intention of going out.
He kept saying, “I will not let my son go out because he will die immediately.”
“I kept talking to her, asking her if she needed help. I think he started to trust me.’
Police “finally managed to persuade” her to leave the house on Wednesday when the officer she was talking to asked her to go to the station.
He was taken to the hospital while other officers stormed the house to get the boy.
He had spent his time drawing and writing on the walls and reportedly had no human contact with anyone except his mom for a full three years.
After finding the child in one of the bedrooms, the police immediately took him to the hospital.
Gurgaon civil surgeon Dr Virender Yadav said, “A medical team, including psychiatrists, is evaluating them.
“The woman has psychological problems. Both have been referred to Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak city.
“They have been admitted to the psychiatric ward for treatment.”
Mr Majhi said: “I’m glad he’s out. I have to take care of their health. They are now being treated. I hope my life will soon get back on track.’
Contact our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.