CANDOLIM (GOA): The women police have detained a family including two brothers who allegedly kept their sister captive in a closed room for 20 long years.

Sunita Verlekar, in her early 50s has been rescued from a small filthy dark room, located in the Candolim village, last evening. The room where she was locked for two decades is attached to the house, occupied by her married brothers. On being rescued with the help of a women’s NGO Bailancho Saad, the brothers justified their ‘offence’, saying that she was mentally unsound.

TNV asked women police inspector Sudiksha Naik, if the family would face any legal action like arrest, to which she replied that an inquiry is being carried out and an FIR has been registered. Arrest if required will be during the course of investigation.

The family was detained at the police station till the wee hours today, indicating that the police are making grounds for their arrest.

The NGO convener Sabina Martins has condemned the act of the family. “Even if the woman is mentally unsound, she cannot be treated inhumanly. The room in which she was locked, had urine all around, which means she was not even allowed to use the toilet. She was not even given bath,” she alleged.

The survivor was given food and water through a window, as no family person was willing to enter the room and neither bothered to get it cleaned.

Verlekar is now at Goa Medical College where she is undergoing medication and report will reveal whether she is mentally ill and subjected to any physical torture.

Team TNV