Residents of Hiranandani Estate, Thane, one of the safest and posh housing complexes in the city, woke up to a shocking Thursday morning.
Your early morning ritual — doing yoga, taking a bathroom break, doing prayers, having the morning chai — just assumed a chilling dimension if you are staying in safe and secure havens like the Hiranandani Estate in Thane.
Residents of Hiranandani Estate, Thane, one of the safest and posh housing complexes in the city, woke up to a shocking Thursday morning with the news that someone like them, 59-year-old housewife Sharda Sharma, had been killed for robbery in her own house for Rs 4.5 lakh worth of cash and valuables .
Though Thane has reported some cases of attacks on lonely women, this incident is the first in a hitherto-safe residential complex like Hiranandani. And it drives home the point that post-26/11, security at all levels is still not up to the mark.
Tragically, it has taken a murder like Sharda’s for the security-minds to take vigilance to new and secure heights.
According to Kasarwadvali police, the incident took place before 9 pm on Wednesday night at flat 901 of Blooming Dale Society at Hiranandani Estate, off Ghodbunder Road. The victim, Sharda Omprakash Sharma (59), resided with her husband Omprakash Sharma (62). Sharda, a mother of two daughters and a son, was a housewife, while Omprakash works with a private chemical company at Belapur. All the three children stay abroad.
Omprakash, on returning home from work on Wednesday night, failed to elicit a response from Sharda despite knocking on the door for long. After about half an hour, he got the duplicate keys from one of his neighbours and opened the door. He got the shock of his life to see his wife lying dead in a pool of blood in the bedroom. Police suspect she was possibly hit by some heavy object and then strangulated by a nylon rope.
“The blood had stained the lower portion of the bedroom walls and also the walls of the bathroom”, said one of the maids in the society who cleaned the room.
A case has been filed with the Kasarvadvali police station and police have started an inquiry. “We have questioned a few people, but are yet to come to any conclusion”, said Arun Sonawane, crime police inspector from Kasarwadavali police station.
Meanwhile, the incident has raised a question about security in housing complexes like Hiranandani Estate. Apart from security that one sees at the entrance of each wing of every society, Hiranandani also has heavy security at its main entrance. There are three security guards in every shift at the entrance of each of the buildings.
“One of us accompanies strangers to the desired flat and unless the particular flat owner confirms, he does not come back”, said one of the on-duty security guards at Blooming Dale.
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