Police: Home care aide allegedly abused elderly Long Beach woman

Bagwandai Shiwankar

Courtesy LBPD

A home care aide was arrested last week after she allegedly verbally and physically abused an 87-year-old Long Beach woman.

Long Beach Police Commissioner Mike Tangney said that officers arrested 51-year-old Queens resident Bagwandai Shiwankar on March 29, after footage from a hidden camera in February showed her repeatedly slapping the victim in the face and head, pushing the victim onto her bed and pulling the victim's hair while yelling at her.

Additionally, police said that Shiwankar pulled on the victim's legs and struck her foot with a slipper; struck the victim on her head with an aerosol can; and poked the victim in the eye with a comb, among other acts.

“It’s so horrible,” Tangney told the Herald. “Unfortunately, she took advantage of a person who is non communicative, and had the [victim’s] son not been aggressive in putting a camera in the house, this would have never come to light.

Tangney said that Shiwankar began working as a home health aide for the elderly woman, who police did not identify, and her husband seven years ago. Shiwankar, who lives in Richmond Hill, cared for the couple while their children worked, Tangney said.

“She stayed on after the father passed,” Tangney said.

At some point in January, the victim’s son noticed that his mother’s behavior at home began to change, police said. He told police that his mother appeared to become fearful and nervous whenever the health care aide was around.

“This change in his mother’s behavior prompted the complainant to purchase and install a hidden camera inside of his residence,” Tangney said. “If she hadn’t tensed up every time the aide came by, he wouldn’t have any idea anything was wrong. The son came in with the video and as soon as we saw it, we told him to fire her, and that we were opening an investigation.”

Police said that the footage showed Shiwankar verbally and physically abusing the woman multiple times between Feb. 1 and Feb. 5.

“She admitted to police to doing this for months,” Tangney said. “We want everyone to know that this person shouldn’t be hired to care for their family.”

Shiwankar was charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person. She was arraigned at Long Beach City Court before Judge Corey Klein and pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $100,000 cash over $100,000 bond. She is due to appear before Judge Robert Bogle in Nassau County Court on April 6. An attorney for Shiwankar could not immediately be reached.

“I would like to commend the victim's family for their swift action. All too often, abusive situations go unnoticed, and cases such as this demonstrate the importance of being vigilant for signs of abuse towards the elderly and other vulnerable populations,” City Councilwoman Chumi Diamond said in a statement. “I am also grateful for the thorough investigative work by the Long Beach Police Department in corroborating these allegations, and removing an allegedly dangerous individual from causing further harm to the most vulnerable members of our community.”