Date:03/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/03/stories/2009010358790300.htm

Tamil Nadu

Lonely twilight fraught with danger

The murders show vulnerability of the elderly living alone, writes R. Sujatha

The murder of an elderly couple in Saidapet, which came to light on Thursday, is the third such multiple murder in the past three years in the city.

In November 2006, an aged couple living in an independent house in Velachery were murdered. In November last year, a 74-year-old man, who retired from TAMIN, his wife and their 17-year-old domestic help were brutally killed in their house in Ashok Nagar. Both the cases are yet to be resolved.

The couple in Saidapet, G. Anantha Krishnan and his wife Yamuna Bai, are suspected to have been murdered on Monday.

All three incidents, according to police and voluntary organisations working for the senior citizens, point to the vulnerability of the elderly who choose to live by themselves.

According to police, Yamuna Bai was a soft-spoken, mild mannered person who kept to herself. The couple had been living in the apartment complex for over 14 years and seemed to have maintained a modest lifestyle. They maintained contacts with their relatives, often called on them and had them as visitors.

Police suspect that the person who entered their apartment on Monday night must have been known to the couple. Police are looking at the murder from various angles, including whether the intruder had forced his way into the apartment as the couple were known to keep to themselves in the evenings.

In the wake of the murder, Commissioner of Police K. Radhakrishnan said: “ There is no need to panic, we will find the culprits soon. We will also go to every apartment complex and make a list of all elderly persons living in it. We will increase night patrolling in these areas as the first step.”

Similar exercises in surveillance on homes with elderly couples have helped in Mumbai. “We have security service coordination with the police in Mumbai where the beat policemen increase surveillance in areas where the elderly are living alone,” said Dignity Foundation’s Chennai chapter director K. Radhakrishnan.

The organisation has taken the lead in getting the senior citizens register with them. “We have done a joint programme such as providing security for the elderly living alone. People living in multi-storeyed apartments should develop a rapport with their neighbours and must know the telephone numbers of their neighbours.”

He says when an intruder enters and is attacking one person the other person could reach the telephone and call for help.

The organisation has volunteers who provide companionship to lonely elderly persons. Having volunteers monitor the movement of members living alone is also helping the Foundation maintain contact with them, he said.