KUANTAN: The case of an elderly man who was allegedly locked in his home in Taman Inderapura here by his three grownup children, has taken on a new twist.
Investigations showed that the man, apart from having locked himself in, could also have ‘chased away’ his children.
District police chief Abdul Aziz Salleh said the house key were in the 77-year-old man’s possession when they broke the house’s front grill lock to rescue him on Tuesday.
“Apparently, the house keys had always had been under the man’s control. He may have kept the doors locked to prevent criminals from entering the house.
“So far, our investigations suggest that the children had not committed any wrongdoing,” he said.
Aziz said police are working with the Welfare Department to resolve any issues between the man and his children.
“He receives monetary aid from the Welfare Department every month,” he said.
Teruntum assemblyman Sim Chong Siang said he was informed by two of the man’s children that it was their father who had chased them out of the house during a quarrel.
Sim said he was told of this by the two children whom he met yesterday to discuss the issue.
The man’s children, said Sim, claimed that it was their father who had angrily chased them out. They also claimed that their father would fly into fits of rage, which eventually forced them to leave him alone.
“They claimed they had sent their father to an old folks' home two weeks ago. But due to several problems, they had to take him away from the home,” he said.
Sim said according to the man’s children, they had returned to the house at 5pm on Tuesday to give food to their father, only to find that he was no longer there.
“At the time, the elderly man was being warded at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) to ascertain the state of his health.
“After that, his children decided that they would send him to any old folks' home willing to accept him," said Sim.
Sim said he has since withdrawn his police report over the matter as the children had returned to take responsibility over their father.
He confirmed that the man is still being warded at HTAA and that the children would deal with the hospital regarding their father.
Meanwhile, State Women and Family Development, Communications and Multimedia Committee chairman Datuk Shahaniza Shamsuddin said that the district welfare office would meet the man’s children to discuss his welfare and care.
She said, if the children were unable to look after their father, the district welfare office can aid by putting him up at its Rumah Ehsan (old folks' home).
“The elderly man is also a recipient of aid for the elderly, receiving RM300 a month since 2013.
“The district welfare office had also previously offered to place him at one of the Welfare Department’s Welfare Institute.
“However, this was rejected by the elderly man as he preferred to stay in his own home (in Taman Inderapura)," she said. She said the man’s children had never in the past sought help from the district welfare office over his care.