JHANSI: In a disturbing case of alleged exploitation and cruelty, a retired railway employee and his mentally ill daughter were reportedly confined and starved in their own home for five years by a servant couple in Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh. The shocking neglect, allegedly driven by greed for property, came to light only after the father’s death, revealing horrifying conditions inside the house.The plan and confinement After the death of his wife in 2016, 70-year-old retired senior clerk Omprakash Singh Rathore moved into a separate house with his 27-year-old daughter, Rashmi. To care for them, Omprakash employed a servant couple, Ramprakash Kushwaha and his wife Ramdevi, both residents of Charkhari. According to the family, the couple gradually took control of the house. Omprakash and Rashmi were confined to the lower rooms, while the servants occupied the upper rooms. Over the course of two years, they were completely isolated. Whenever relatives visited, the couple allegedly lied, claiming the father and daughter did not wish to meet anyone. Relatives, believing the excuse, returned without suspecting the sinister reality inside. Neglect and starvation Inside the house, the father and daughter were reportedly starved and denied proper care. Omprakash eventually died due to prolonged neglect and lack of food. His daughter, Rashmi, survived in extreme malnutrition, her body reduced to a ‘skeletal frame’. Relatives described her as appearing much older than her 27 years, weakened to the point that she was barely able to breathe. Greed as a motive The relatives allege that the servant couple executed the plan with a clear motive: to seize the property and the bank balance. They reportedly even installed a nameplate outside the house, falsely naming themselves as the deceased’s heirs. Discovery and investigation The grim reality was uncovered only after Omprakash’s death when relatives visited the house. Police arrived soon after, taking custody of the body for postmortem and beginning an investigation into the alleged confinement and starvation. CO City Arun Kumar Singh confirmed that the postmortem report would reveal the extent of neglect and assured that every aspect of the case was being thoroughly examined. “This was a planned act,” relatives said, still shocked by the horrific conditions. “If they had not been allowed to meet anyone, a complaint could have been filed with the police—but it was not done. This betrayal is unimaginable.”
