All quiet at Shivaji Park

A pall of fear hangs heavy on the serene bylanes of Shivaji Park. Two days have elapsed since the murder of Cadell Road resident Lalita Pinge, 54, on Monday night, but the dread among the locals was still very much palpable. None of them were opening their doors to unknown faces. “Tomorrow, the victim could be any one of us. It’s scary,” said Neeta Singh, a housewife.

Cadell Road residents are now desperate to ensure their safety. Very few buildings on one of the oldest roads in Mumbai have security guards. “Affluent families reside in this area, and yet they have not bothered to appoint security guards. It’s the least they can do to ensure safety,” said a senior official of Shivaji Park police station.

Old couples and housewives residing in the area said that they had been in constant dread ever since the murder of Pinge. “We are mostly alone at home throughout the day,” said S Nagarajan, 70, a retired banker. “Such crimes really bother me.”

The police were disappointed as none of the Shivaji Park residents have registered details about their domestic help at the police station. “We constantly appeal to them to furnish the details but in vain,” said a police official. “Crimes committed by domestic help often hog limelight in the media. Residents fail to understand that they should register the details for their own safety. We plan to make an appeal again,” added the officer.