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A caregiver was arrested on suspicion of elder abuse this week after a camera captured her hitting a 91-year-old woman in Costa Mesa dozens of times in the victim’s home, police said Thursday.

Rima Abikaram is seen in a booking photo released by Costa Mesa police.
Rima Abikaram is seen in a booking photo released by Costa Mesa police.

Rima Abikaram, 50, of Fullerton was one of two women hired in 2015 to provide 24-hour care to the bedridden senior, according to a Costa Mesa Police Department. news release.

At some point, the other caregiver noticed the 91-year-old Jane Doe had visible injuries and expressed concern to the woman’s family, police said. That prompted them to install a hidden camera in her home to monitor the situation.

“Ultimately, the hidden camera revealed Abikaram abusing and striking the victim,” the release stated.

The victim’s family terminated Abikaram’s employment and reported the elder abuse case to police on Aug. 18, 2020, according to the release. An officer went to the senior’s home to take a report.

During the investigation, police combed through video footage from the residence and discovered that Abikaram had repeatedly hit the victim over a period of four days, striking her at least 150 times, officials said.

Jane Doe suffered a number of injuries including a black eye, swelling to her face and a laceration to her arm, the medical report revealed.

Abikaram was arrested without incident at her home on Tuesday. She was booked into jail and then released the following day after posting bond, according to inmate records.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case.