Senior citizen couple, 95-year-old matriarch fight away robbers

MUMBAI: A 95-year-old woman, along with her son and daughter-in law, resisted burglars and thwarted a robbery at their home in Goregaon (West) recently.
On April 25, at 11pm two men gained entry to Preetmal Shah’s apartment in Jawahar Nagar on the pretext of delivering a box of mangoes. Preetmal (76) lives with his wife Indumati (75) and mother Kamlaben (95).
One of the men pulled out a knife, caught hold of Preetmal and threatened the others. Kamlaben fought back her son’s assailant, who slashed her hand. After the Shahs raised an alarm, the two escaped leaving behind a cellphone, a duct tape, a rope and knives. Preetmal subsequently lodged a complaint with the Goregaon police. “The complainant told us that one of his assailants bore a resemblance to a man he had hired as a driver last year,” said a police officer. The cellphone left behind led to the arrest of Dinesh Ambekar and his aide Rishikesh Kadam. “Last year, Ambekar was hired by the complainant as a driver. The two accused were picked up on May 8 in Kandivli. They have been booked on charges of assault, criminal intimidation and trespassing,” said Raghunath Dalvi, senior inspector of crime branch. “I have learnt a lesson that one should not let unknown persons enter our homes. I will request my society to instal CCTV cameras,” said Preetmal.