Family returns from holiday to find ‘drunk’ squatter sitting on their couch

A Shepparton family say they have “lost everything” after returning from a three-week holiday to find to find their home overtaken by squatters.

A Shepparton family say they have “lost everything” after returning home from holidays to find the home they are renting had been overtaken by squatters.

Sanjay Kuikel, a junior doctor working in regional Victoria, his wife Nilima Gautam and their two children arrived back in early May after three weeks visiting relatives in Nepal — only to find a man sitting on their couch watching TV, smoking and eating pizza.

The man had made himself at home. Picture: Ten News

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The house had been ransacked and stripped of $50,000 worth of valuables, including gold and silver, bags and clothing, kitchenware, their children’s belongings and even Ms Gautam’s wedding jewellery from her late father.

The man sitting on the couch was “drunk” and “enjoying his dinner”.

“When my husband said, ‘Who are you?’ He said, ‘I live here,’” she told 10 News.

“[It was] really terrifying. They could have [had] a weapon. It was really shocking, especially having kids with you.”

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Nilima Gautam said it was ‘terrifying’. Picture: Ten News

The family called police and the man was removed, only to return multiple times claiming the property was now his. The man had moved in drug paraphernalia, alcohol, even groceries and toiletries.

“Police told me there were 17 to 20 people coming in and out of the house every day,” she said.

Neighbours were reportedly forced to call police at least half a dozen times due to loud and drunken behaviour while squatters were in the house.

The man reportedly claimed the house was now his. Picture: GoFundMe

The locks have now been changed, but the family have been forced into temporary accommodation.

Mr Kuikel has started a GoFundMe seeking to help the family rebuild, saying the experience had shattered “our sense of security and peace of mind”.

“This traumatic experience has left us shaken and emotionally distressed,” he wrote.

“We are now living in temporary accommodation while trying to rebuild our lives. We are reaching out to our community, friends, and kind strangers for help.”

Around $4000 of a $10,000 goal has been raised towards replacing essential items, covering the cost of “safe, stable housing”, easing the financial impact and “providing a sense of stability for our young children during this unsettling time”.

“I’ve dedicated my career to caring for others — but now, my family and I are in urgent need of support,” he wrote.

Originally published as Family returns from holiday to find ‘drunk’ squatter sitting on their couch