How safe are the elderly in Ahmedabad?

The senior citizen of Ahmedabad is no longer safe, as per the reports of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Senior police officials that DNA talked to said criminals find senior citizens to be easy targets for murder, chain-snatching and loot. For instance, take the loot and murder case of 75-year-old woman Rambha Patel, a resident of Ghatlodia.

The Karmacharinagar Housing Society, part-2, resident was found strangulated with a cloth by her daughter Bhagwati Patel around 2 pm on Thursday. There was no sign of struggle at the crime scene. Cops say CCTV footage from the house shows a courier boy entering it with two boxes. The two gold bangles that the victim was wearing were found to be missing from the spot. Deepan Bhadran, DCP of Crime Branch, said, "We are investigating the case. More CCTV footages have been recovered but we cannot reveal further information right now as it may affect the probe."

73% crime against senior citizen of state reported from Ahmedabad

According to the NCRB data, Ahmedabad ranked third in the incidents of crime against senior citizens in 2016. Out of 496 crime cases registered against senior citizens in Gujarat in 2016, 362 were reported from Ahmedabad, which is almost 73 per cent of the total cases.

While 68 cases were reported in 2014, it reduced to 17 in 2015 only to rise to 362 cases in 2016.

MK Rana, ACP of Prevention of Crime Branch, said, "Senior citizens are the soft target for the accused. Not just elderly but all people should remain alert. We conduct several awareness programmes for senior citizens regularly and also issue guidelines. But most of them don't follow it."

He added, "If a senior citizen lives alone, his or her relatives should have the information of the people visiting the house including milkman, newspaper boy, cook and domestic help. Most of the time, these aspects are neglected."

The top cop added that informed and updated relatives not only help avert crimes against elderly but also increase the possibility of police to catch them after committing the crime.

AHMEDABAD NO CITY FOR ELDERLY?

A LOOK AT 2017 

On October 12, Meena Jog, 60 was attacked by four people while she was alone in her house in Vidyanagar Flats near Keshavbaug Party Plot in Ahmedabad. Valuables were also stolen but cops were able to nab all the four accused.

On August 25, 93-year-old Rasiklal Mehta was suffocated with a pillow at his house in Darshan Society of Navrangpura by his former domestic help, police said. He was nabbed later.

On February 1, a 75-year-old woman identified as Malti Parekh was found dead in her house in Swastik Society of Navrangpura. Police later nabbed her former domestic help, a 19-year-old for the crime.

CRIME AGAINST SENIOR CITIZEN REPORTED IN GUJ

2016- 496 cases

2015- 195 cases

2014- 372 cases

CRIME AGAINST SENIOR CITIZEN IN AHMEDABAD

2016- 362

2015- 17

2014- 68

CRIME AGAINST ELDERLY IN CITY IN 2016

Murder- 6 elderly were victims

Extortion- 1

Robbery- 12

Cheating- 6

Other IPC cases- 336

NATIONWIDE (2016)

Mumbai- 1,218

Delhi- 642

Ahmedabad-362

Coimbatore- 233

Chennai- 210