40% rise in murders of senior citizens in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Despite special efforts from city police to protect senior citizens, the number of elderly people murdered in the capital increased nearly 40 percent in 2012 after a significant dip the previous year.
Attacks on elderly have continued in the current year with at least four seniors murdered and several others falling prey to robberies in recent months.
On November 26, Shanti Devi, a 56-year-old MTNL employee, was found murdered in her residence at Shakarpur in east Delhi. Police have been unable to solve the case.
Seventy-one-year-old NRI Harinder Jit was also among latest elderly murder victims, found dead in his Khayala flat in west Delhi. Days ago, a gang of robbers targeted an 84-year-old woman at Sunder Nagar in south Delhi. Robbers tied her up before decamping with her cash and gold ornaments.
The crimes were a wake-up call for police but huge deployment for election, rallies and campaigns have made it tough for police to devote resources for security of elderly, an officer said.
According to Delhi Police and National Crime Records Bureau, a total of 521 people including 131 women were murdered in 2012 of whom 48 were aged above 50 years. Though Delhi is not among top states on the list, police are embarrassed that the number of elderly murder victims increased to 48 in 2012 from 35 in 2011.
“Apart from those who live all by themselves, there are a large number of seniors who stay at home for a long time when their children are out at work. We have started registering their names,” said an official in the senior citizens’ security cell of Delhi Police.
A total of 15,644 senior citizens’ names were registered by police in 2012. The registration process is still on. Among those registered, a security audit had been conducted on 13,180 and, as a part of the audit, identity cards were issued to 12,812 elderly persons, said an officer.
To ensure their security, officials of the senior citizens security cell and personnel from local police stations contact the elderly over telephone and via personal visits.
During the run-up to the assembly polls, there have been huge police deployments in various rallies and campaigns of high profile political leaders as well as special operations against illegal arms and illicit liquor, demanding more manpower than usual.
In different police station areas, manpower crunch is now the major challenge to conducting a fresh security audit of senior citizens.