An armed miscreant followed a senior citizen right into her apartment and robbed her of valuables worth Rs. 3.5 lakh in Malleswaram in the early hours of Thursday.
Rama Nagaraju (70), residing in Huligardi apartment on Malleswaram 17th Cross, returned home around 3.30 a.m. when she was stalked by a miscreant aged around 20. After she entered her apartment and closed the door, the man stuck his hand through a window and easily reached the door’s bolt.
Big loot
On gaining entry, he pounced on Ms. Nagaraju, threatened her into silence, and ransacked the house, snatching a gold chain and five pairs of bangles weighing 112 gm from her.
After collecting the booty, he bolted the door from the outside and fled. The crime came to light when a shocked Ms. Nagaraju, whose son was away in Andhra Pradesh, mustered enough courage to cry out to her neighbours.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Malleswaram Sub Division) S.N. Gangadhar said that though most of the residents of the apartments are senior citizens, there were neither security guards nor CCTVs installed. A similar robbery was reported from Sri Apartment in Malleswaram 13th Cross a few months ago when another senior citizen, Jayanath Kiriyur, and her two sons, Yashwanth and Sathyavratha, were handcuffed, gagged and robbed in their flat.
Mirji diktat ignored
Though City Police Commissioner B.G. Jyothi Prakash Mirji had instructed the police to identify senior citizens in their jurisdiction to provide security cover, the Malleswaram police failed to do so. Asked about the lapse, ACP Gangadhar blamed the apartment owners. The apartment has not had security guards for the past two years, he said, adding that they have been told to take measures to prevent such crimes in future.
