Debt led to chopping off woman’s feet to rob anklets

Vadodara: The grisly murder of a 75-year-old woman, whose feet were chopped off to rob the anklets, stemmed from one of the two assailants' desperate bid to pay his mounting debt.The woman, Dashri Bhil, was attacked with a blunt object on her head inside her house in Gadhboriyad village in Naswadi taluka of Chhota Udepur on Wednesday. After killing her, the accused allegedly cut off her feet to remove the anklets and fled, leaving the body inside.Police said one of the assailants, Ranjit alias Rango Bhil, had taken a loan to buy a van but had defaulted on two instalments. In urgent need of money, he, along with accomplice Bipin alias Viko Bhil, allegedly targeted Dashri, knowing she wore heavy silver anklets.The stolen anklets, weighing about 1 kg and valued at around Rs 2.5 lakh, have been recoveredFamily members grew suspicious when they could not find her for a long time and discovered her body after opening the door. Her son, Atul Bhil, later lodged an FIR with Naswadi police.A joint probe by Naswadi police and the district's Local Crime Branch led to the arrest of the two accused from nearby villages — Ranjit of Dholi Kotardi and Bipin of Khadakiya.Police said Ranjit had a prior theft case against him.