Three incidents of robberies in quick successions in and around Surya Nagar here have created panic among women and children.
A youth, who was stabbed, had to undergo a surgery and a part of his small intestine had to be removed.
Luckily, he is out of danger.
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Two youths snatched the mobile phone of a young girl walking on the road. Within the next few days, robbers attacked two men with weapons in an attempt to rob them.
“Women fear to come out of their houses in the late evenings and nights, since even men are not sparred by armed men,” said Vasantha, a housewife.
“We came here two decades back when there were very few houses. But, despite the residential area having grown much, we are now afraid of getting out of houses,” she said.
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Senior citizen Subbammal concurs with her. Pointing to P. Sam Prakash (33) getting mugged by three armed men, she said what would happen to the families if there was loss of lives in such incidents.
As Prakash was returning to his house at KVR Nagar on foot around 11.30 p.m. January 25, three bike-borne youths intercepted him. While one assaulted him with a knife on his head, another one stabbed him.
Before, he could collapse on the ground, they took away his mobile phone and purse containing about ₹20,000.
A medical student in the neighbourhood, M. Karthik, rushed him to a private hospital in his car.
After having spent ₹2.5 lakh, Prakash is still bedridden.
Youths nabbed
Next day, the alert youths and women of the area nabbed two youths, who robbed a young girl of her mobile phone. They were handed over to the police. “The police said my purse, with ₹4,000 had been recovered from them,” Mr. Prakash said.
C. Moorthy (34) in the next street, and his friend, were intercepted by two youths on the night of February 1.
One of them asked him for his mobile phone to make a call.
But, even before he could pull the phone out of his pocket, one of them attacked him on his head with a hammer-like object.
Both Mr. Moorthy and his friend were injured on their heads. Mr. Moorthy is still recovering from the injuries.
“Despite, though we informed the police at the check-post, no one visited us at the hospital as promised,” said Mr. Moorthy. After treatment, he visited Tallakulam police station.
The police promised to visit him at his home for complaint. But, they are yet to visit him till date, said Moorthy.
Fear has forced few women like Rajeshwari turn to yellow threads instead of gold chains.
While Sudha allows her daughter to go for tuition only when her husband accompanies her, Kani has stopped late evening special classes for her daughter.
Police patrol
Surya Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association office-bearer R. Duraikannan said that the association has sought police patrol in Subasini Nagar, KVR Nagar, Jai Nagar, Jaimoogambiga Nagar, Subbiah Street.
“We want our area to be included in K. Pudur police station limits as Tallakulam police station is very far away,” he said.
(Names of women changed)