In a disturbing turn of events, Aarey police have arrested three men — including the grandson of an ailing 70-year-old woman — who allegedly abandoned her near a garbage heap in the early hours of Saturday, instead of securing medical help. Police say the trio had first taken her to a hospital, but when admission was denied, they chose to dump her and flee. The woman, Yashoda, was found in a fragile and distressed state near Dargah Road in Aarey Colony.
What happened that night
According to Aarey police, Yashoda — who suffers from physical and mental health issues — had become aggressive late Friday night. She reportedly tried to strangle herself and later hit her grandson, Sagar Shewale. Alarmed, Shewale called her brother-in-law, Babasaheb Gaikwad, and the two decided to take her to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivli West, using a 108 ambulance. CCTV footage confirms she was brought into the hospital at 2.23 am but taken out by 2.40 am, after hospital staff allegedly declined to admit her due to the unavailability of services. “The key CCTV cameras at the hospital’s gate and passage were not working, which initially made it hard to trace her movements,” said an officer from the investigation team.
Cover-up and confession
Initially, CCTV footage near Yashoda’s residence provided no leads. However, discrepancies in Shewale’s statement raised suspicions. During a detailed interrogation, he confessed that after leaving her briefly with Gaikwad in the hospital passage, he returned home, roped in a known rickshaw driver — Sanjay Parshuram Kudshim alias Bobby — and returned to the hospital. Rather than taking her to another hospital, the trio allegedly drove to Aarey Colony and abandoned her near a garbage dump around 3.30 am. They then returned home in the same rickshaw. Kushim charged R400 for his services. “Shewale knew the location well, having previously worked in Film City,” said the officer.
CCTV footage in the Aarey Colony case reveals that the senior citizen, Yashoda, was first taken to Shatabdi Hospital by her grandson Sagar Shewale and another family member.
After the hospital allegedly refused admission, the footage shows them leaving the premises and later… https://t.co/wwjQzHGGxN pic.twitter.com/NxYMPVBddH
— Mid Day (@mid_day) June 26, 2025
All three — Shewale, Gaikwad, 70, and Kudshim, 32 — have been booked under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with endangering life or personal safety through negligence, and Section 24 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 (abandonment of a senior citizen under one’s care). Senior Inspector Ravindra Patil of Aarey Police confirmed that the trio has been taken into custody and further investigation is underway.
Shock and compassion
The case has sparked statewide outrage and prompted the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission to take suo motu cognisance. The National Cancer Institute, Nagpur, has also offered to provide her with free cancer treatment. She is currently being cared for at Cooper Hospital.
