Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Jun 24: In an appalling incident that has sent shockwaves across the city, a 60-year-old woman suffering from cancer was found dumped in a garbage heap in Mumbai's Aarey Colony, allegedly by her own grandson.
The victim, Yashoda Gaikwad, diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, was found barely conscious, with ulcerative cancer wounds festering on her face. Locals discovered her lying amid filth around 8:30 am on Saturday and immediately alerted the Aarey Police.
What she whispered to the responding officers was chilling: “My grandson left me here.”
Despite her critical condition, Yashoda was initially refused admission by not one, but two hospitals. First rushed to Jogeshwari Trauma Care Hospital, she was denied care citing lack of infrastructure. She was then taken to Cooper Hospital, where she was again turned away after a cursory check-up.
It was only after Senior Inspector Ravindra Patil personally intervened that the ailing woman was finally admitted to Cooper Hospital at around 5:30 pm, nearly eight hours after she was rescued.
Speaking, a visibly disturbed officer remarked, “If we, complete strangers in uniform, can go out of our way to help her, why can’t hospitals show the same level of humanity?”
Doctors at Cooper Hospital confirmed that Yashoda is battling advanced basal cell carcinoma with ulceroproliferative growths on her face. As per hospital dean Dr. Sudhir Medhekar, her condition is currently stable and she remains under close medical observation.
Before slipping into a semi-conscious state, Yashoda reportedly provided two residential addresses—one in Malad and another in Kandivali. However, early police efforts to locate her family have been futile.
With no CCTV coverage at the exact dumping spot, the Aarey Police are now scanning nearby surveillance footage. Yashoda’s photograph has also been circulated across Mumbai police stations in hopes of locating her relatives.
Senior Inspector Ravindra Patil issued a heartfelt request to citizens:
“If anyone recognizes this woman or has any information about her family, please contact the Aarey Police Station. Even a small lead can make a big difference.”
This case lays bare the heartbreaking reality of elder neglect, even as the victim battles a painful illness. While medical neglect and red tape are evident, the most piercing wound is the one inflicted by her own family—the very people expected to care for her in her darkest hour.