Irfan Iqbal Gheta
Anusuya Bai Velinggiri – a resident of Chicalim, Vasco – is yet to recover from the shock. This 75-year-old woman’s plight is heartbreaking. The robbery incident in broad daylight has demonstrated how vulnerable our senior citizens are. Losing expensive ornaments (made of gold) worth ₹1.80L at the hands of con artists is hard to digest.
But this is exactly what happened on a sleepy Tuesday afternoon in Chicalim while Anusuya Bai was making her way to her house after finishing errands in Vasco.
Two bike-borne men approached unsuspecting Anusuya Bai. They introduced themselves as policemen and fabricated a story of women from the vicinity getting robbed of their expensive gold jewellery with robbers lurking around the corner to strike at will.
This was a time-tested ploy to create fear in the heart of Anusuya Bai. Trusting these two men impersonating as policemen, a gullible Anusuya Bai – gripped by fear and anxiety – removed her gold chain and bangles. Without wasting a minute, the bike-borne miscreants snatched those valuables from Anusuya Bai’s frail and unsteady hands and sped away.
By the time the poor woman realised what had happened and raised an alarm, it was too late. She stood there motionless when it finally sunk in that those two men were thieves in the guise of policemen.
Our heart tends to go out to helpless senior citizens when we learn about crimes committed against them using simple modus operandi such as creating fear psychosis to exploit their vulnerable state of mind.
Poor Anusuya Bai! She must have saved those items of gold for her granddaughter or daughters as a family heirloom. She has tragically lost everything due to no fault of her own. Although we can relate to the feelings of sorrow she must be going through, we can only pray for policemen to nab the culprits as soon as possible.
How can such incidents be prevented from happening in the future? How to make our senior citizens aware of the risks and dangers associated with venturing out alone? It is a delicate matter that requires tact and patience to successfully deal with. That said, here’s a list of dos and don’ts for our elderly family members.
– Senior citizens must refrain from wearing expensive jewellery.
– They must avoid stepping out alone at all hours. They are frail for their age. They need round-the-clock assistance in case an untoward incident like a sudden fall takes place.
– They must refrain from following a daily routine. Thieves keep an eye on their old victims. They follow their movements for weeks and plan a strike after establishing a pattern of daily movements of the victim.
– They must stay connected with their family members via smartphone if they have ventured out on their own due to unavoidable circumstances.
– They must avoid and resist any attempts from strangers trying to strike up a conversation. It is a red herring. Who wants to talk to elderly people these days?
– Most importantly, senior citizens must remember that policemen do not go around advising common men and women to beware of thieves and keep their valuables hidden from plain sight.
– They must never remove their gold chain or bangles or ear or nose rings outside of their house in front of strangers. It is a recipe for disaster.
– Last but not least, let us take a vow to accompany our elders wherever they want to go. Or better still, let us take them with us wherever they want us to take them.
If we protect our elders by being with them, no power on earth can harm them.
Elderly members of our family deserve better in their twilight years. They want our empathy and company. Give them what they want. We will all be safe from fake policemen ready to attack and flee.
