Rise in crime spooks ‘pensioner’s paradise’

More cases of murder and theft have been reported from Jayanagar in the last couple of years

July 15, 2013 08:38 am | Updated November 27, 2021 06:53 pm IST

In April this year, >three elderly sisters were attacked in their house in Jayanagar 7th block, causing the death of a 78-year-old woman and leaving her two sisters, aged 79 and 88, grievously injured. The attack on the trio — residents of the area for several decades, attacked by their plumber — is a sliver in the growing crime statistics in Jayanagar, leaving residents of this ‘pensioners’ paradise’ rattled.

Worrying numbers

Cases of crime such as murder, dacoity and theft recorded in the Jayanagar police station limits (3rd to 8th blocks of the area are under their jurisdiction) grew from 285 cases in 2011 to 333 cases in 2012.

In this period, total crimes in the area increased by 36 per cent, while in the whole of Bangalore, the incidence of cognisable crimes actually dipped by 3.3 per cent, according to National Crime Records Bureau statistics.

Till mid-2013, the largely residential area has already recorded 138 cases of crime, such as murder, dacoity and theft. This includes a murder and an attempted murder. Incidents of house theft almost doubled from 22 in 2011 to 41 in 2012. This year, there have already been 17 cases of house theft recorded by the police.

Other crimes this year have included chain-snatching, attention diversion and theft.

If there’s one section of the population that feels particularly vulnerable, it’s senior citizens. This, after all, is the locality that saw five people murdered in two cases over 11 days in 2009; three victims were aged above 70. The police still don’t know who slit the throats of deputy accountant-general (retd.) A.S. Venkata Rangan (79) and his wife Vasantha (72) then.

K. Murali (65), a resident of Jayanagar 4th block, had his home burgled last year. “Two people walked in and stole gold jewellery. It was never recovered and the police were most unhelpful. The crime situation in our area is getting worse and senior citizens like us have to bear the worst of it.” “I feel very vulnerable on the street especially during the late evening, night and early morning. I feel safe in my own house, but streets are just not safe for us,” says 63-year-old Ananta Padmanabiah, a resident of Jaynagar 9th block.

Attempting to address this concern, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Jayanagar subdivision, Yashwanth Savarkar, said patrolling was taken up near parks and temples, where chain-snatching could occur, especially during early morning hours. “Announcements are also made through Hoysalas, warning people not to wear jewellery in such areas.” Besides, he said, locations where senior citizens lived were identified so that necessary safety measures could be implemented.

Mr. Savarkar added that a community policing programme, Janaagraha, was initiated in J.P. Nagar as a trial project, and would be initiated in areas such as Jayanagar soon.

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