Secunderabad: Old age home management, kin of inmates booked

HYDERABAD: With a call landing on ‘Dial 100’ about a group of senior citizens and youngsters being illegally confined at an old age home at Nagaram on Wednesday night, police rushed to the place and discovered that they were lodged there with the consent of family members. However, the squalid conditions at the place forced authorities to conduct a probe and they found out that the facility was operating illegally.
Police registered a case against management and family members of senior citizens. Preparations are on to shift all inmates to other rehabilitation centres under the supervision of revenue, women and child-welfare department officials.
On Wednesday, Keesara police received a call on the ‘Dial 100’ facility about people being illegally confined at Mamatha Old Age Home at Shilpanagar, Nagaram.
“Our team went there and found out that they were not kidnapped. Relatives of the inmates lodged them there by paying the organisers amounts ranging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 per month. However, the conditions in the facility were pathetic. There is just one toilet for 73 people and there are no sufficient beds. Psychiatric patients are being chained at times,” Keesara inspector J Narender Goud said.
Police along with revenue, women and child welfare department officials conducted an inquiry into the allegations of running the facility illegally as a psychiatric rehabilitation centre with 73 inmates, including 22 women.
“The organisers, who were running the facility for the past three years, have permission to run an old age home. But they also started taking people suffering with psychiatric problems and those suffering from alcohol and smoking addiction, which is illegal. Based on the violations found, a case was registered under Sections 406,420,324,342 of IPC and Section 24 of Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 against the organisers and family members of the senior citizens,”the inspector said.
“The inmates will be shifted to other centres with proper medical care under the supervision of police, revenue and women and child welfare departments,” he added.