VILLUPURAM: As many as 180 inmates were rescued from an illegally-run private home for mentally ill and destitute persons after a raid at the facility in the district on Friday. The raid was carried out following an order from the Madras High Court in a missing-person complaint.
During the raid, two monkeys, allegedly being raised by the owners of the home to torture the inmates bit several occupants and the owner of the home, leaving them severely injured. A medical team from Mundiyambakkam government hospital treated the injured inmates at the home, and the severely hurt persons were taken to the hospital for further treatment.
Police said priliminary investigation revealed that the home has no proper licence and used to torture the inmates housed there. They said, the monkeys attacked the inmates as they were mentally disturbed.
The missing complaint was filed by a relative of one the inmates who is based in Bengaluru last year. He had stated that though the person was rescued by the home, the home authorities never sent him back to Bengaluru.
During the hearing of the case, Madras High Court ordered the police to raid the facility and rescue the missing person. “But the missing inmate, along with 17 others, were not found at the home,” police sources told TNIE.
Superintendent of Police N Shreenatha said the a case has been filed at Kedar police station regarding the 17 missing persons. “However we can’t intervene in the issue as it comes under the purview of district social welfare department,” he said.
Reacting to the issue, Collector C Palani said, “The home was raided by the social welfare department officials and the revenue district officer. Further investigation is under way. All the inmates were rescued and sent for general medical checkup at Mundiyambakkam government hospital. Based on the probe, we will initiate action against the home owners.” Meanwhile, the district forest department has also filed a case against the owners for illegally raising the monkeys.