In what can only be described as an extreme case of COVID-19 paranoia, a 36-year-old woman from India cut herself and her son off from the outside world when the pandemic began in 2020. Munmun Majhi somehow got it in her head that cutting off all contact with the outside world was the only way to protect her son, who was 7 at the time. The woman’s husband, Sujan Majhi, was also forced to stay indoors at all times, but when he returned to work after lockdown restrictions ended, Munmun would not let him back in the house. After nearly 3 years, Sujan finally went to police last week. When they first heard Sujan’s story, they couldn’t believe it, so they called his wife, who confirmed the story. She explained that her 10-year-old son was absolutely fine, at which time police asked her to confirm the boy’s well-being via video chat. That’s when the police realized the gravity of the situation, shocked by the complete mess in the home. Mountains of trash were piled up everywhere, the boy looked unkempt, and he had hair that reached past his shoulders. Police finally convinced Munmun to allow her son to be taken to a hospital to be checked. Both the mother and child were admitted to the psychiatric ward for treatment, but Sujan is hopeful that their lives will soon be back on track.
