By Shourya AvankhedkarMUMBAI: Four days after a cancer-afflicted woman was found on a street in Aarey Colony, the police on Wednesday arrested her grandson, her elderly brother-in-law, and an autorickshaw driver for allegedly abandoning her and endangering her life and safety. Police said her grandson, Sagar Shewale (33), was “fed up” of taking care of her after failing to get her admitted to any hospital. Yashoda Gaikwad, who is in her sixties, was found sitting alone near some bushes around 7 am on June 21. She had a wound on her face and was unable to speak clearly. Her cancer is in an advanced stage, police said. Police officials first took her to the Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari, but doctors there said they lacked the necessary equipment to treat her. She was then admitted to Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle.
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Investigations revealed that Yashoda had been living with Shewale, his wife, and their son in Kandivali East. Shewale works as an office boy in Andheri. Police tracked him down and informed him about finding his grandmother. Initially, Shewale told investigators he was shocked to learn about the circumstances in which she was found. However, further investigation revealed that Shewale had not disclosed the complete facts. According to police, he had attempted to get his grandmother admitted to a civic-run hospital in the suburbs but failed. He and his brother-in-law, Babasaheb Gaikwad (70), then hired an autorickshaw driver, Sanjay Kadreshim (32), to ferry the elderly woman to Aarey Colony. They told police that it was dark when they left her on a street. Shewale paid Kadreshim Rs 400 for the job. Babasaheb told the police that he had asked Shewale to bring his grandmother back home afterward. Babasaheb has claimed that Shewale lied to him about having brought her back and feeding her. Meanwhile, Yashoda’s condition is now stable. Shewale, Babasaheb, and Kadreshim have been booked under relevant provisions of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act and the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.
