Harassed at
home by their own kids, vulnerable and easy targets against crimes, Ahmedabad
accounts for the highest number of cases against senior citizens in the state
— On June 13,
a 29-year-old painter asked his mother to accompany him to a nearby field in
Vatva. He gagged and raped her before abandoning her. When no one heard her
cries, the shocked woman mustered courage to reach her daughter’s house in the
same locality.
— Hemant
Mehta, a 77-year-old retired government officer lives alone at a flat in
Praladnagar. Recently when his eldest daughter Kinjal Mehta came to meet him,
she found that Rs 50,000 was missing from the house. Police investigation
revealed that one of the two nurses employed to look after him had stolen the
money and escaped.
Rising
cases of crime against senior citizens in the city have brought into sharp
focus their vulnerability. What is shocking is that a majority of crimes
against the elderly are committed by their own children. Almost 60 per cent of
crimes against the elderly in the state took place in Ahmedabad. Of the 172
crimes against senior citizens registered in the state last year, almost 100
such cases were recorded in the city, according the National Crime Records
Bureau.
Data
shows that physical violence topped the list of crimes, followed by murder and
robbery with one rape case in the same year.
According to the 2011 census, 47,86,559 people in the state fell under the category of senior citizen. A survey carried out by HelpAge, an NGO working for welfare of senior citizens, found that most old people suffer from abuse at home.
In their old age, these citizens become dependent on their children, nurses and relatives, making them more at risk to the crime.
Surprisingly, more than 30 per cent of such crimes are committed by their own ‘educated’ children. “It is observed that such cases are most common in urban areas. Educated children abuse their parents more. In villages, they live in a more close-knit society where people support each other, but in cities where they live in nuclear families, aged persons are most vulnerable,” said Gaurang Jain, a sociologist at Gujarat University.
Echoing the sentiment, Farashbhai Kakkad of Jivan Sandhya, an old-age home, shared the story of Nainita Mehta, a 94-year-old woman who was cheated of her property worth Rs 1 crore by her son.
“In 2008, her son forged documents to show that his mother was dead and sold her property. Later in 2014, he mistakenly took his mother’s signature in the same property-related document which exposed the whole scam. Now, he has filed a case in High Court against her old mother,” Kakkad said.
According to the 2011 census, 47,86,559 people in the state fell under the category of senior citizen. A survey carried out by HelpAge, an NGO working for welfare of senior citizens, found that most old people suffer from abuse at home.
In their old age, these citizens become dependent on their children, nurses and relatives, making them more at risk to the crime.
Surprisingly, more than 30 per cent of such crimes are committed by their own ‘educated’ children. “It is observed that such cases are most common in urban areas. Educated children abuse their parents more. In villages, they live in a more close-knit society where people support each other, but in cities where they live in nuclear families, aged persons are most vulnerable,” said Gaurang Jain, a sociologist at Gujarat University.
Echoing the sentiment, Farashbhai Kakkad of Jivan Sandhya, an old-age home, shared the story of Nainita Mehta, a 94-year-old woman who was cheated of her property worth Rs 1 crore by her son.
“In 2008, her son forged documents to show that his mother was dead and sold her property. Later in 2014, he mistakenly took his mother’s signature in the same property-related document which exposed the whole scam. Now, he has filed a case in High Court against her old mother,” Kakkad said.
Soft targets of cyber crime
It has also been observed that in 40 per cent
of cases, senior citizens have been victims of cyber crime. “Senior citizens
have limited knowledge of new, advanced technologies, so they become soft
targets of cyber criminals. As many of them live alone, they don’t even consult
their children which makes them more susceptible to it,” said ACP Crime Branch
K N Patel.
In a recent case, a 65-year-old retired person lost Rs 60,000 from his bank account after falling prey to cyber crime. “Unknowingly, they click on malware links send through emails which tracks all their bank details. They don’t even get to know about it until they check their accounts,” Patel said.
Experts suggest senior citizens should take precautionary measures especially when living alone. “We ask them to keep emergency numbers, including those of relatives, friends and the police on speed dial,” said Kakkad.
Police stations maintain database of senior citizens and concerned beat officers are said to visit their homes.
However, experts opine that though senior citizens can take precautionary measures to save themselves from outside criminals, it is tough to identify in-house culprits.
“There have been cases when an aged parent is cheated by their own children. Surveys show that in most cases, they are victimised by daughters-in-law. But due to lack of awareness most cases go unreported,” Sanskrit Acharya, a volunteer who works for welfare of senior citizens in Ahmedabad and surrounding districts, said.
In a recent case, a 65-year-old retired person lost Rs 60,000 from his bank account after falling prey to cyber crime. “Unknowingly, they click on malware links send through emails which tracks all their bank details. They don’t even get to know about it until they check their accounts,” Patel said.
Experts suggest senior citizens should take precautionary measures especially when living alone. “We ask them to keep emergency numbers, including those of relatives, friends and the police on speed dial,” said Kakkad.
Police stations maintain database of senior citizens and concerned beat officers are said to visit their homes.
However, experts opine that though senior citizens can take precautionary measures to save themselves from outside criminals, it is tough to identify in-house culprits.
“There have been cases when an aged parent is cheated by their own children. Surveys show that in most cases, they are victimised by daughters-in-law. But due to lack of awareness most cases go unreported,” Sanskrit Acharya, a volunteer who works for welfare of senior citizens in Ahmedabad and surrounding districts, said.
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