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On Wednesday morning as Ashish Vartak, a civil engineer and a resident of Amol Nagar in Naigaon drove past the bushes next to his building, he saw a man cowering behind them with a copy of newspaper. He immediately backtracked and confronted the man accused of torturing his wife and three daughters and keeping them locked up in the house.
It's a story that will send a chill down your spine, a story of a 60-year-old father, who locked, beat and starved his wife and daughters for 7 years.
Francis Gomes, a 60-year-old unemployed man, living in Mumbai along with his wife and 3 daughters had confined his family in the house since 2002.
A few months ago, Francis' second daughter along with the help of an NGO managed to escape the clutches of her father. While the social workers managed to rescue her, the other 3 women were too scared to leave the house with them, fearing that Francis would successfully hunt them down.
Fortunately, on Tuesday morning social workers belonging to the NGO Anand Rehabilitation Centre along with the police rescued the three women from the house, while Francis was away. The police now have Mumbai's psycho dad Francis Gomes in their custody, after local resident in Vasai, Mumbai informed the police about his whereabouts following reports in the media.
Horror in the house
But they were still not done. With an eye out on the compound, in case Francis returned, the rescuers stepped inside to fetch Barbara. ‘The stench was unbearable and the house looked as if it had been in a state of rot for years,” recalls Simoes( A Beautician who led the rescue). “You can stand by a garbage bin, but not inside that house. I then saw Barbara sitting on a dusty chair, her head dangling down and her feet tethered to the legs of the chair. There was also an iron chain and an iron rod there. I almost freaked out and immediately freed her and took all of them to the Manickpur Police Station,” says Simoes.
An officer said that charges would be framed against him only after the police received his medical reports, but added that Gomes was likely to be arrested under Sections 341, 342 (wrongful confinement) and 323 (causing hurt) of the IPC.
The police also called in R Gopalakrishnan from the NGO that rescued the women and recorded his statements.
It's a story that will send a chill down your spine, a story of a 60-year-old father, who locked, beat and starved his wife and daughters for 7 years.
Francis Gomes, a 60-year-old unemployed man, living in Mumbai along with his wife and 3 daughters had confined his family in the house since 2002.
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The father allegedly kept them locked up as he was convinced that his girls would be raped if they even stepped out of home.
The father allegedly kept them locked up as he was convinced that his girls would be raped if they even stepped out of home.
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It is believed that every morning before Francis left home he would lock the door giving the impression that the family was away. The women were often denied food and fresh clothing. The windows had been boarded, denying them sunlight; they were prohibited from watching television, so much so that when the youngest daughter failed her college exam, the father hit her so hard that she suffered severe neck injuries.
A few months ago, Francis' second daughter along with the help of an NGO managed to escape the clutches of her father. While the social workers managed to rescue her, the other 3 women were too scared to leave the house with them, fearing that Francis would successfully hunt them down.
Fortunately, on Tuesday morning social workers belonging to the NGO Anand Rehabilitation Centre along with the police rescued the three women from the house, while Francis was away. The police now have Mumbai's psycho dad Francis Gomes in their custody, after local resident in Vasai, Mumbai informed the police about his whereabouts following reports in the media.
Horror in the house
But they were still not done. With an eye out on the compound, in case Francis returned, the rescuers stepped inside to fetch Barbara. ‘The stench was unbearable and the house looked as if it had been in a state of rot for years,” recalls Simoes( A Beautician who led the rescue). “You can stand by a garbage bin, but not inside that house. I then saw Barbara sitting on a dusty chair, her head dangling down and her feet tethered to the legs of the chair. There was also an iron chain and an iron rod there. I almost freaked out and immediately freed her and took all of them to the Manickpur Police Station,” says Simoes.
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While the girl, who suffered neck injuries, is being treated in a government hospital, the other two daughters, who are malnourished and traumatised, are under psychological care. The wife too is under medical care.
An officer said that charges would be framed against him only after the police received his medical reports, but added that Gomes was likely to be arrested under Sections 341, 342 (wrongful confinement) and 323 (causing hurt) of the IPC.
The police also called in R Gopalakrishnan from the NGO that rescued the women and recorded his statements.
