BB Desk
A 60 year old woman identified as Yashoda Gaikwad was found dumped in a heap of garbage by the police in Aarey Colony’s Unit No. 32 on Saturday Morning. Gaikwad – frail, injured, and immobile was helplessly lying in the pile of trash when the police discovered her at around 8.30 am after a tip off from the control room. Barely able to speak, she mumbled to the police, “She was staying with her grandson in Malad and he dumped her there.”
According to the police, Gaikwad is suffering from advanced stage skin cancer and had visible untreated wounds on her face along with infections on her cheeks and nose. Even though Gaikwad was found at 8.30 am, she had to wait for 8 long hours to get admitted to a hospital. Despite best efforts invested by the police, several hospitals had refused to admit the woman citing lack of facilities as the reason.
Cooper Hospital too, had initially declined to admit the senior citizen after a brief assessment. However, later only after personal insistence from Senior Inspector, Aarey Police Station, Ravindra Patil, the hospital finally admitted Gaikwad at around 5.30 pm. Apprising the media about her medical condition, Cooper Hospital Dean, Dr. Sudhir Medhekar said, “The provisional diagnosis is basal cell carcinoma. Her vitals are stable and she has ulceroproliferative growths on her cheek and nose.”
The situation is being closely investigated by the police to obtain details about the woman’s family. Although the disposal site did not have any cameras, CCTV footage from the surrounding roads is being monitored to trace the identity of her grandson. The police has urged even the locals to come forward, if they have any information regarding the woman’s family. Gaikwad’s photos have been circulated in various police stations in an attempt to locate her family. Meanwhile, Gaikwad has provided two addresses associated with her family- one in Malad and one in Kandivali and the police is looking into it.
