A young couple in Gadchiroli had the most difficult 15-km journey of their life for they had to carry their deceased children, barely 3 and 6 years old, on their shoulders in the absence of an ambulance to take them home. The children were unwell and allegedly died after taking ‘medicine’ from a local ‘vaidu’ (healer). The deceased have been identified as Bajirao Ramesh Weladi (6) and Dinesh Ramesh Weladi (3).

 

They were residents of Yerragadda village in Aheri taluka. The Weladi family had gone to Pattigaon to the children’s grandfather. But on reaching the village, as both Bajirao and Dinesh were running high fever, parents took them to a local ‘vaidu’ who gave them some herbal medicine. The children were given the ‘jadibuti’ but their health deteriorated further after that. The boys became unresponsive. They were taken to the nearby Jimalgatta Primary Health Centre (PHC) but it was too late by then. Bajirao breathed his last around 10.30 am and Dinesh too breathed his last around 12 noon. Meanwhile, to add to the parents’ woes, they had to carry the children on their shoulders to their native village Yerragadda in the absence of ambulance at the PHC.

 

The doctors at Jimalgatta did try to arrange for an ambulance from Dechlipetha. But this time, even though ambulance was there, it could not ply on the road plastered with Dupare. Following this, Shivam was arrested from Maulana Azad Ward and he was booked under POCSO Act. Meanwhile, the victim allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at her house on Wednesday around 12 noon.On receiving information about the case, Additional Superintendent of Police Reena Janbandhu and SDPO Deepak Sakhare visited the girl’s house. The cops, on Thursday, arrested two more accused identified as Rakesh Pandeya (52), owner of the lodge, and Bandu Kamatkar (64), manager, for allotting a room to the accused with a minor girl, informed a senior police officer.