As if the murder of an elderly woman in Satellite on January 24 and the recent spat of fake cops targeting senior citizens to rob them was not enough, an elderly couple in Bopal was assaulted and robbed of jewellery worth Rs60,000 on Sunday night.
It seems that Ahmedabad is not safe as far as senior citizens are concerned.
As if the murder of an elderly woman in Satellite on January 24 and the recent spat of fake cops targeting senior citizens to rob them was not enough, an elderly couple in Bopal was assaulted and robbed of jewellery worth Rs60,000 on Sunday night.
The victims were identified as one Sana Patel, 71 and his 68-year-old wife Sharda-both residents of Deep Villa Bungalows in Bopal.
Sana lodged a complaint with Sola police stating that four knife-wielding men entered the house at 9:30pm and robbed his wife's two gold bangles worth Rs60,000.
“They rang the door-bell. No sooner did my wife open the doors, two of them caught her and the other two overpowered me. They threatened us with knives if we did not part with the valuables,” the elderly man said.
“My wife began handing over her pair of bangles but when I tried to stop her two of the men stabbed on my hands and legs,” Sana said.
As the old man let out a cry, neighbours came rushing.
However, the robbers managed to escape. The couple's son Dharmesh Patel, who also lives in the same society, informed Sola police of the incident.
Sola police inspector KD Bhatt said that they have alerted all police stations of the city but no arrest has been made so far in this connection.
Zone-I deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Rajiv Ranjan Bhagat said that this can be the handy work of an insider. “It seems, the attackers knew that the couple was alone at that time,” he said.
The DCP also said that immigrants from other states could be involved in the incident to earn quick bucks before the upcoming Holi festival.
“We are taking help of sniffer dogs to trace the culprits. We are also preparing sketches of them,” Bhagat added.
Seniors at risk
> Usha Shah, 75, a resident of Shyamtirth Apartment in Satellite, was allegedly murdered in her house on February 3 this year but police have so far made no headway in the investigation of the case.
The old woman used to stay with her daughter Hemali Shah. On the day of crime, Hemali went out to buy vegetables. Even after a month, Satellite police have made no headway in the investigation.
> Taswina Patel, 67, who used to live near Nirnaynagar Underpass, was allegedly murdered in her house. However, her assaulters had not committed robbery or theft after the murder. A year on, Ghatlodia police is yet to solve the case.
> During last three years, three other senior citizens —Chandrika of Keshavanagar in Sabarmati, Veena Gandhi in Paldi and Hiraben Chopai in Usmanpura-were allegedly murdered but police have failed to solve one of the cases.
Cops are still groping in the dark in the Chadrika murder case. However, they had succeeded in solving the mystery in the rest two cases when the then Vejalpur police inspector JM Bharvad nabbed Vijay and Ajay brothers seven months ago.
The 'spider-men thieves,' as the duo were known in police circles, confessed to have murdered Veena and Hiraben while attempting robbery.
‘Patrolling has been intensified’
> Zone-I deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Rajiv Ranjan Bhagat told DNA that they have intensified patrolling following rise in incidence of attack on senior citizens.
“We have also asked all the police stations of the zone to strictly enforce the city police commissioners' circular making it mandatory for landlords to provide information about their tenants,” Bhagat said.
On the status of investigations in the Satellite murder case, the DCP said, “We have some leads.”
A circular for safety of seniors
> A circular issued by the Director General of Police (DGP) states that police will assure safety and security of those senior citizens who are living alone and who report to the police about the same.
According to the circular, concerned police inspector will make occasional visits to the houses of such senior citizens and will inquire about their health and other matters.
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