The main suspect, a painter, is still to be arrested.
? On February 19, Lajwanti Chugani (70) was murdered at her Gamdevi flat after a robbery by two men who had earlier been employed as domestic help in another wing of the building.
? On February 16, Dilip (72) and Varsha Randhery (61) were found murdered at their Santacruz flat. Police arrested a domestic servant.
? On February 4, former member of the Censor Board Kiran Khanna (65) was found murdered at her Worli flat. Two men posing as courier delivery boys had assaulted her.
While the continuing trend of crimes against senior citizens has worried policemen across the city, compelling them to set up a helpline for seniors and to step up mobile patrolling, the Borivali police will soon initiate a first in proactive policing a senior citizens’ card.
Police Inspector (Crime) Annasaheb Rajmane from the Borivali police station, whose brainchild is in its final stages of being approved, says: Realising the fact that policemen cannot monitor the safety of senior citizens around the clock, I came up with an idea to get a special senior citizens’ card printed. The card contains landline phone numbers of the Borivali police station as well as mobile numbers of the senior police inspector, the assistant police commissioner of the area and also the deputy commissioner of police of the zone. The purpose of the card is to make help available to senior citizens that’s a phone call away.”
Rajmane says a copy of each card issued to senior citizens residing in the police station’s jurisdiction will also be maintained at the police station. “It will con tain particulars about the name of the family doctor of the card-holder, the name of the nearest hospi tal, the blood group and other such details.” DCP Makarand Ranade (Zone 11) says the issue is being discussed “at a senior level” before final ap provals. “Such proactive methods of policing are ex tremely necessary. For, like many others, senior citizens are unaware about the help made available to them.” Recalling an incident a month ago, Ranade adds: I’d been invited to address a group of senior citizens at a public park in Borivali.
The event was well at tended, with over a hundred senior citizens. However, during the course of my ad dress, when I asked how many of them knew the phone numbers of the local police station, thannot more 10 people raised their hands.”
At the Chandraneel building in Gorai, Borivali, where Khurshid Dick was found murdered a month ago, other residents mostly se nior citizens – are still wor ried for their safety.
One resident of the build ing for the past 13 years said: We have stepped up secu rity measures and have started maintaining a log book of visitors. We do not entertain any salesmen. The watchman accompanies every visitor to the flat.” It will be a very good move. We won’t need to search for important contact numbers in an emergency,” said D R Srinivasan (61), a retired LIC employee and resident of Chandraneel building for 11 years.
Rajmane says the cards, which are being printed with contributions from lo cal activists, will be distrib uted to all senior citizens in Borivali, but with special emphasis on those senior citizens who live alone.
Old people who stay alone are the most vulnerable, es pecially if their children have migrated or if they have no other relatives.”