Woman locked in shed for 25 years

A 43-year-old Indian woman has been rescued after being locked up by her family in a single room for more than a quarter of a century.

Her family members in the eastern Indian state of Orissa said she was mentally ill and had to be kept apart because of her "wild behaviour".

Annapurna Sahu was confined in an abandoned outhouse - only a few feet high and without proper flooring.

The family said she was not mistreated and was given food and water regularly.

Eyewitnesses present during the rescue operation in the town of Dhenkanal, 100km (62 miles) from state capital, Bhubaneswar, said Ms Sahu was living in inhumane conditions.

She was reportedly naked when she was found.

Her brother, Ganeswar Sahu, said she had to be segregated from the rest of the family after she started abusing others.

She had dug up the floor of her small room, her mother, Yashoda Sahu, said.

Following her rescue, Annapurna Sahu was taken to a hospital in Dhenkanal.

Surendra Mohanty, the doctor treating her, said she had shown signs of improvement since she was admitted. She would be given a detailed examination of her mental state on Saturday, the doctor said.

District magistrate, Usha Padhi, said Ms Sahu would later be shifted to a rehabilitation home.

The cost of her treatment would be paid by the district unit of the Red Cross, she said.

A counsellor from an NGO attending Ms Sahu said she showed no sign of mental illness, though she did appear weak and emaciated.

Pallavi Nanda, of the Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati Service Mission, said Ms Sahu was taking food and was responding to questions normally.

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