A 39-year-old man has been locked away in a cage since he was six years old, after his parents claimed he was possessed by a ghost.
A man was locked in a cage for nearly 30 years by his parents. They claim he was possessed by a ghost, when he was barely six years old.
This horrific situation happened in Hepu County's Gongguan Township, in South China.
The man's mother claimed she and her husband took the decision to keep him off the streets, 'reluctantly'.
Neighbors took images of the man inside the cage he had been in for years.
The man, now 39, has lived alone in a dark cage since the 1980s. Even though he has not been identified, a woman who claims to be his mother, identified as Li Lianying, admitted that she and her husband "reluctantly" locked him away. "He would run around aimlessly on the street and only learnt how to say 'mom' at the age of 12," she said.
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The man's mother, Li Lianying, said she and her husband locked him away.
They claim he started acting strangely, never thinking that he could have a mental health condition. They tried to exorcise him in order to“release the evil spirit from him”, but he only started acting more strangely, forcing them to throw him in the cage.
The last time he went out was a few years ago, when he was allowed to get some exercise.
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Concerned neighbors recently recorded the man, where he can be seen holding onto the bars of his cage.
After sending the footage to medical professionals, he was freed and taken to a hospital. It was reported that the man is very malnourished, and is practically unable to communicate.
Meanwhile, see this video of a 'peace ambassador' who lives on the street: