A horrible incident occurred in Vile Parle East on Sunday. Two thieves tied up an 85-year-old woman and her 40-year-old female caretaker with a tape and tapped their mouth and stole a gold chain valued at Rs.20 lakh. The incident took place at 12.30 am on Sunday and was discovered when the victim’s son returned home to find the door unlocked. Upon entering, he found his mother and the caretaker bound and distressed.
The Vile Parle police have registered a theft case, and a search operation is ongoing. According to the sources, the elderly victim lives with her 60-year-old son and a caretaker at Tejpal Singh Road, a four-story building in Vile Parle East. On Sunday evening, the victim’s son left home for a family gathering in the Western suburbs. Shortly after, at around 12:30 am, someone knocked on the door on the ground floor.
When the victim opened it, she saw two individuals standing outside. They immediately forced their way inside, tied up the woman and her caretaker with tape. The thieves used a cutter to remove the gold chain from the victim’s neck after failing to remove it by hand. They did not harm the victims and left immediately after stealing the gold chain valued at Rs.20 lakh.
When her son returned around 2 am, he found the door unlocked. Upon entering, he saw his mother and the caretaker still tied up and distressed. He released them and informed the police, who arrived at the scene and filed a case.
According to the police, the victim’s home does not have CCTV cameras, which may have made it an easy target. Preliminary investigations suggest the thieves had conducted surveillance beforehand and were familiar with the daily routines of the elderly woman, her caretaker, and her son, who works as a real estate broker. The victim has lived with her son and caretaker for several years, while her other child lives separately in the city after marriage.
