KOTTAYAM: An incident of cruelty towards parents has been reported in Mundakkayam where a son allegedly locked his parents in a room without food or medicine. A dog was also tied to the elderly couple's bed. The legislators and police arrived on the scene after Asha workers reported the couple's plight. The father was lying unconscious without food and was rushed to the hospital but died soon after.

The couple's youngest son, Raji, who lived next door, tied the dog near the couple. No locals approached the elderly couple for fear of the dog. The son, however, had fed the dog routinely. Health workers and lawmakers arrived but the couple's relatives didn't allow them to enter the house. They gave in when the police arrived. Podiyan, 80, was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Postmortem procedures are underway. His wife Ammini (76) was admitted to Kottayam Medical College.