The premises in Ambelokipoi remain sealed, where an illegal nursing home was operating in a fourth-floor apartment on Sevastopoulou Street. The apartment was managed by a 72-year-old woman, who allegedly kept at least four elderly women under unacceptable conditions. According to the case file, the accused had confiscated the elderly women’s mobile phones to completely control their communications, while keeping cats and dogs in the same space without proper care.
Ambelokipoi: The complaint that exposed the case
The case came to light following a complaint by the daughter of an elderly woman, whom the 72-year-old allegedly blackmailed by demanding an additional 2,000 euros. Moreover, according to the evidence, she threatened that otherwise she would abandon her mother in a garbage bin.
Tenant testimony: “I never imagined it was a nursing home”
A tenant of the apartment building described the moments of the police operation, stating that he heard police officers shouting “security.” As he said, he saw an elderly woman being removed on a stretcher, with an ambulance from the National Emergency Center transporting her. She emphasized that she had not realized that a nursing home was operating on the fourth floor, while noting that in the past there was different activity, even parties in the same space. “I saw a woman coming out with a wheelchair, she was sick, the ambulance came and took her. I wouldn’t have even thought it was a nursing home there,” she said characteristically.
Police raid and the 72-year-old’s stance
During the authorities’ operation, the presence of a locksmith was required, as the 72-year-old refused to open the door. Subsequently, she attempted to mislead police authorities by providing false information.
Trial postponement – Released with restrictive conditions
The 72-year-old was brought to the Summary Three-Member Misdemeanor Court at the former Military Academy courts, where she received a postponement shortly after 12:00 noon on Saturday. The trial was postponed to May 6, due to non-summoning of witnesses. The court decided to lift her detention, imposing restrictive conditions: prohibition from leaving the country and mandatory weekly appearance at the local police station.
The accused faces charges of attempted extortion, continuous endangerment, and disobedience. According to the investigation, the four elderly women lived in deplorable conditions, malnourished and essentially isolated, as they had no access to communication.
