80-old-mother condemned to dingy room

Duminda Senarath

KELANIYA: An 80-year-old mother almost in her death bed, but completely neglected and confined to a gloomy room by her children was traced by Child and Women's Protection Bureau officials when they raided a house at Gonawala, Kelaniya yesterday.

The raid was following an anonymous call to the Bureau, Officer-in-charge I.P.Buddhika Balachandran said.

The Bureau police team surrounded a house at Gonawala, Kelaniya and traced the feeble 80 year-old woman almost lying in her death bed completely neglected without food and in soiled clothing.

Investigators learnt from neighbours that the woman was being ill-treated by her children who kept their mother under duress.

One son of the woman is a Dockyard Assistant at the Colombo Harbour while another is a high ranking employee in a foreign employment agency. The woman was taken under the care and custody of the team of police officers of the Child and Women's Protection Bureau. The team with neighbours assistance attended to the woman and admitted her to the Colombo National Hospital.