In a heart-warming gesture, cops from the Khar police station ensured that a senior citizen in their area was not alone on her birthday. On Saturday, four constables surprised Kumud Joshi, a retired professor, with a cake to ring in her 77th birthday.
“I was pleasantly surprised to find the police officials with a birthday cake at my doorstep,” Ms. Joshi told The Hindu . “At this age, we don’t really get many visitors or people to talk to. People like us require a support system as it increases the confidence in living,” she said.
The Mumbai Police’s official Twitter handle tweeted about the surprise to Ms. Joshi which led to a flood of birthday wishes for her on the social media, with many people praising the cops for their thoughtfulness. On Sunday, Ms. Joshi was presented with a collage of birthday wishes that came for her on Twitter.
The surprise was planned by SI Khalil Shaikh who often visits Ms. Joshi and is constantly in touch with her. “We exchange greetings every morning on the phone. When I realised that it was her birthday, I decided to plan a surprise for her,” said Mr. Shaikh adding that the Khar police had been lending an ear to lonely seniors citizens for a long time. “At times, they want someone to have a conversation with them, so we do share our personal numbers. When we visit them, they feel really ecstatic as if a family member has come to visit them,” he said.
When it comes to crime, senior citizens have always been vulnerable targets. Thus, being in touch with the local police is often helpful for them. “The cops have even gone to the extent of fetching medicines for me. During elections, they helped me get to the polling station and even dropped me back home after I cast my vote,” said Ms. Joshi.
With increasing number of senior citizens living alone, many of them treat the policemen as their family members. “We always have varied experiences with the citizens. While some feel guarded and secured, many are apprehensive to our visits as they do not like their neighbours wondering why the police are paying a visit. We need to make these visits to ensure that the people living around them or working in their houses are aware that we are in constant contact with them. It helps us in preventing crimes,” Mr. Shaikh said.
