VISAKHAPATNAM : In two separate incidents that show how dangerous the city is turning out to be for senior citizens living alone, two elderly women were killed for gain in different parts of the city in a span of half-an-hour, sending shock waves throughout.
In one case, alert locals caught one accused and later in a swift move, the police arrested another three persons, including two women.
Police commissioner Amit Garg told newsmen that a 70-year-old widow Hafiz Unnissa, residing near Indus Hospital at Jagadamba junction was smothered to death by a four-member gang around at 7 pm Monday at her residence. The arrested have been identified as A Naresh Kumar, a native of Kurupam area of Vizianagaram district, P Ramu of Gonduru village in Paderu, V Santha Kumari, wife of Naresh and residing at Burma Camp, Kancharapalem, and B Varalakhsmi (19) of Pedabayalu.
The CP said that the accused Naresh, earlier worked as security guard at WIPRO software centre and prior to that at Manipal Hospitals near Jagadamba. He had been jobless for the past few months. Naresh befriended Santha Kumari, an employee of Manipal Hospitals, and married her. Before marriage, Santha was a tenant of the victim and Naresh had visited the house to meet a job consultant who happened to be a co-tenant. Santha and Naresh were known to Hafiz Unnissa. Most deplorably, they took advantage of her vulnerability and hatched a plan with friends Ramu and Varalakshmi since all of them badly needed money.
According to the plan, the four offered samosas laced with sedatives to Hafiz Unnissa. They later smothered her to death with a pillow and robbed two gold bangles, a gold chain and her mobile phone and tried to flee. However, at that moment, one Manikanta, a para-medical assistant who gives insulin injections to the victim daily, went upstairs and saw the body of Hafiz and shouted for help. Blue Colt patrol teams and locals were alerted and found that Naresh was escaping in the cover of darkness from the house. The local youth caught him and recovered the stolen booty. Later, all the four accused were arrested. Police are investigating.
In another case, the CP said that B Andalamma, a 65-year-old retired head nurse of the Railway Hospital, was done to death at her residence Monday evening. The deceased was living at Abidnagar of Akkayyapalem area alone on the first floor of a building after her husband passed away about 10 years ago.
Monday evening, the victim’s maid went to Andalamma’s house as usual to finish her work. After finding no response despite repeated knocks on the door, the maid called the locals. Upon breaking the door open, the locals and maid entered to find Andalamma lying dead on the floor in the bedroom. The police found that about 11.5 tulas of gold ornaments, including chains and bangles, were stolen from her. Amit Garg said that police teams started investigation and would nab the culprits soon.