The Wadhwas were enjoying a nap after lunch when a team of overzealous New Delhi officials padlocked their gate, trapping the elderly couple inside and inadvertently bringing them to the centre of a heated debate about zoning laws and illegal businesses.
The couple was caught up in a sweeping municipal drive to instill order in India's chaotic capital by shutting down and demolishing illegally built structures that have sprung up like mushrooms across the sprawling city of 14 million.
City employees mistook the residence of Madhusudan Wadhwa, 76, and his wife for a commercial business in violation of local zoning laws when they locked their gate on Monday, officials said.
The couple didn't realize they were trapped until their son visited that evening and saw the municipal seal outside, Wadhwa said yesterday.
It took four hours for police and city officials to realize the error and open the gate.
The Wadhwas' plight received heavy news coverage yesterday. "It was great negligence on the part of the officers," New Delhi Mayor Aarti said. "We are going to take very strict action against the officers who have done this."
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