A woman from Russia used a vicious dog to keep her kids imprisoned within their home for 10 years.
Dina Azizova, 55, from the city of Ust-Katav in Chelyabinsk Oblast, refused to let her three children – referred to in reports as Darina, 20, Damir, 15 and Alina Aliev, 11 – leave the house for a decade.
The children, who did not attend school, had been kept locked inside the house and were only allowed out into the garden under the supervision of an aggressive dog.
On November 6, Azizova contacted the Ust-Katav police department to report all three of her children had been kidnapped.
Officers conducted a search, and the three siblings were found the very same day. However, officers realised there was more to the story when the kids revealed they didn’t want to return home.
Local media sources reported the siblings had deliberately ran away from their home while their mother was out at the store, as she had been keeping them as prisoners there.
They explained they were kept from escaping from the property because of the fierce guard dog, with security cameras fitted all over the property hampering any potential attempts to escape.
After Azizova discovered her children had in fact not been kidnapped but had run away of their own accord, she reportedly told local police officers:
You may put me in jail if you want to, but I wanted the best for them all the time.
As reported by RT, neither Azizova’s neighbours or the authorities knew about the siblings’ imprisonment. Azizova had told people her kids had gone to live in the neighboring Republic of Bashkortostan with their elder sister.
The following morning, Azizova reportedly set fire to the house where she had kept her children locked up, before committing suicide.
Darina, Damir, and Alina Aliev are reportedly now being cared for in hospital, where they are receiving psychological treatment following their long ordeal.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues, and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on its anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found at Suicide.org.
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.