Mumbai: 78-year-old thrashed by caretaker dies in hospital

Chandrakant Shinde in hospital; (right) Babula Nahak, the accused

A 78-year-old paralysed man died on Thursday after battling in hospital for almost 25 days following a brutal assault by his caretaker at Mira Road.

It was only after a mid-day report on the incident that the police registered an FIR and arrested the caretaker. The accused has been identified as Babula Nahak, a resident of Tamil Nadu.

The deceased, Chandrakant Shinde, is a retired railway official. Police said Nahak was drunk when he beat up the bedridden Shinde and punched him in his face. Shinde's son Dipak initially went to file an FIR at Mira Road police station but they refused.

Dipak Shinde said, "We had hired a caretaker for my father as he was bedridden. On September 24 caretaker came home late and was drunk. He then ran away."

During investigation, police found that Nahak had escaped to his hometown in Tamil Nadu. He was subsequently traced and arrested.