Indian siblings rescued by NGO after locking themselves in filthy room for a decade

Credit: Kevin Frayer /AP

Three Indian siblings who locked themselves inside a single room for a decade after the death of their mother are slowly re-adjusting to normal life.

The trio, aged between 30 and 42, had been using the floor of the downtown room in the city of Rajkot, which had no natural sunlight, as a toilet and were living among piles of rubbish.

Overcoming the smell, volunteers from the Saathi Seva Group NGO broke down the door of the room on December 28 after a tip-off from the siblings’ distressed father, Navin Mehta, 85, who said he had lost hope of the trio ever emerging on their own accord.

Mr Mehta said he had been bringing them food every day and leaving it outside the room but was too scared to enter himself as he believed he would be exposed to black magic.

Ambrish, 42, the eldest of the siblings, was described as “skeletal” and unable to stand after sitting cross-legged for weeks, while the other brother, Bhavesh, 34, was suffering from memory loss.

The sister, Meghna, 39, was the only one clothed when the group was found and said she had been cooking for her brothers using the supplies left at the house by Mr Mehta.

“They may be like what their father says [that they are mentally ill], but they need treatment urgently,” said Jalpa Patel, the leader of the team from the Saathi Seva Group, which usually works with members of the homeless community in Rajkot.

“Megha claimed she was alright but kept on asking for food every now and then. She seemed to be disoriented. Bhavesh wasn’t talking yesterday when we managed to break into their room. However, on Monday, he started speaking in limited sentences,” said Ms Patel.

Mr Mehta said the siblings were well-educated and had degrees in economics, law, and psychology but his wife’s death had “affected my children deeply” and that “some relatives did black magic on them.”

The trio were first cleaned and shaved, before being taken for psychological assessment at a government hospital in Rajkot.

Meghna and Bhavesh are responding well, with the latter starting to enjoy cricket games with childhood friends, but Ambrish is still to speak a word, according to the Saathi Seva Group