CITY EXPRESS, Chennai Crime Beat

SPURT IN BURGLARIES KEEP HOUSEWIVES, ELDERLY PEOPLE ON THE EDGE

Residents are expressing concern over the audacity with which burglars have struck in recent times.

          Recent burglary attempts by armed intruder, which were targeted at lonely women and elderly persons, have raised fresh safety concerns in residential areas of the city.

          Last month, an elderly couple, Pothan and Anna Pothan, were attacked by intruders who had broken into their house in velachery, while a housewife,Girija, sustained injuries when a youth slashed her neck after forcing his way into her house in Adyar last week. In both cases, criminals were caught. But the trauma inflicted upon the victims bear testimony to their sufferings. Residents are expressing concern over the audacity with which burglars have struck in recent times. A recent incident in which criminals broke into a locked house in Thiruninravur, cooked food, washed utensils and watched TV before decamping with valuable is a case in point. Thieves did not even spare the house of a Crime Branch -CID Inspector in Koyambedu. Nonetheless, it is the housewives who fall easy prey to these people. In the case of Girija, a 20-year-old assailant had made his way into her house by posing as a sales executive. He surveyed the house, returned in an hour and made a vain bid to rob her. In another incident reported in an apartment at Shenoy Nagar (West), criminals slipped into a house through the front door, even as the family was inside, and escaped with whatever they could lay their hands on. Meanwhile, again in Shenoy Nagar (West) just a week ago, a middle-aged housewife, who went to pick up her son from school, became a target. Two youths, idling with their bikes near her compound, waited for her to alight from her car then snatched her mangalsutra. She just managed to hold on to a bit of the jewellery. Similarly, at Anjugam Nagar in Kolathur, residents complain that when housewives go to bring back kids from school around 3.30 pm., miscreant attempt to snatch chains. At least half-a-dozen attempts have been reported till now. Kumar, a business man whose wife was a victim of chain-snatching says, “Housewives move around in fear here. Even a 10-year-old girl was not spared a week ago.” Joint Commissioner of Police (South Chennai) C. Sylendra Babu says that youths desperate for easy money are the ones who target affluent housewives. In an incident at Anna Nagar around two years ago a housewife was even murdered, he recalled. If housewives find themselves in such a situation, they should immediately call the police as patrol vehicles are always doing the rounds.

ROBBERS GAG, BEAT WATCH MAN FOR IRON RODS                     Iron rods worth Rs. 50,000 that were kept for constructing a building were allegedly stolen by a gang of four in Ram Nagar, suburban Madipakkam, after assaulting a watch man. According to the police the watch man, identified as Annamalai was beaten up by the gang which had come in a van. Annamalai was reportedly tied up and his mouth was stuffed with rags. The gang allegedly took away all the iron rods stored at the site belonging to Professor Basker of Little Mount. A complaint has been lodged buy the professor with the Madipakkam police.

ROBBED OUTSIDE BANK
          A man was robbed of Rs. 1.5 lakh and a demand draft for Rs. 44,000, minutes after he withdrew the amount from a nationalized bank at Rajakilpakkam on Saturday. Sources said that after stepping out of the bank he had placed the bag carrying the cash and the demand draft on the petrol tank of the motorcycle He was about to leave when he got a call on his mobile phone. While he was on the phone, two men on a motorecycle snatched the bag from him and sped away.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON SNATCHES WOMAN’S CHAIN
          A woman was robbed of her gold chain at Beach road near Royapuram on Friday by an unidentified person. According to the police Shanthi,40, who is working in a private company in Parrys corner was returning after work when the man snatched her chain and fled the scene. She consequently raised an alarm abut the thief had fled. She later lodged a complaint with the police.

HELD FOR BREAKIN
          The Guindy police arrested two persons on Sunday who allegedly broke into the house of Bothan of Velacheri last month. Police identified the arrested as Karthik (20) of Thideer Nagar, Santhome and Ganesan (24) of Kannagi Nagar, Toraipakkam. The police also recovered the blood stained weapons which were used for attacking the wife of Mr. Bothan.