HYDERABAD: A 32-year-old caretaker, P Bhargavi, who wanted to steal an elderly woman’s cash and valuables, blinded her by putting a poisonous concoction of Harpic and Zandu Balm into the lady’s eyes. Hemavathi, 73, lives alone in Srinidhi Apartments under Nacharam limits. Her son Sashidhar who lives in London, appointed Bharagvi to care of his mother in August 2021. Bhargavi moved into Hemavathi’s flat with her seven-year-old daughter and had been waiting for an opportunity to steal.
In October, when she saw Hemavathi rubbing her eyes, Bhargavi offered to put some ‘soothing’ drops in the elderly lady’s eyes. She quietly mixed bathroom cleaner liquid Harpic, Zandu Balm in water and administered the same. After four days, Hemavathi told her son that she had developed an eye infection upon which Sashidhar referred her to a private hospital nearby. Meanwhile, Bhargavi stole `40,000 in cash, two gold bangles, a gold chain and some other jewellery.
LV Prasad Hospital detects cause
When Hemavathi’s eyesight worsened, her daughter Ushashri visited and took her to the hospital again but it did not yield any result. Soon, the 73-yr-old lost her eyesight completely following which Sashidhar came down to Hyderabad and took his mother to LV Prasad Eye Hospital. It was there that the doctors informed that the cause of blindness was owing to a poisonous solution in the eyes. This led the family to suspect Bhargavi and file a police complaint. When questioned, Bhargavi confessed to the crime. She was arrested and sent to judicial remand on Wednesday.