At 5 am on 7 August, 76-year-old Om Dutt Singh, a resident of Sagarpur in southwest Delhi, left for his early morning walk, a routine he has followed for many years.
Barely 300 metres from his house, Singh was attacked by three motorcycle-borne assailants, who stabbed him and robbed him of Rs 500 and took away his purse and identity (ID) cards.
The 76-year-old was one of the three men who was robbed and stabbed within nearly 10 minutes in three separate lanes of a congested residential neighbourhood. One of them died in the attack, while Singh suffered minor injuries.
It's been four months since the attack. Singh, who lives with along with his son Pramod Kumar and daughter-in-law in Durgapur, is now extra cautious when he steps out of the home.
"We did not even imagine that this would happen to us so close to our home. Despite my dad screaming for help, no one came out. What happened was extremely scary. Now we ensure that he leaves for his morning walk only at around 7 am once the sun is out," Pramod Kumar told The Quint.
Such incidents are not limited to Delhi alone. But more and more cases of crimes against the elderly is being reported in Delhi.
Delhi Tops List Of Crimes Against Senior Citizens in 2022: NCRB
According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for the year 2022, Delhi registered the highest number of cases among all metropolitan cities in the country accounting to over 32 percent of the total crimes committed against people aged 60 years and above.
The NCRB report shows that Delhi reported an uptick in crime with 1,313 cases in 2022, compared to 1,166 in 2021 and 906 in 2020.
This is more than double the number of cases of crimes against senior citizens reported in other metropolitan cities such as Mumbai (572) and Bengaluru (458).
Out of the 1,313 cases, 627 pertained to theft and 136 to cheating. There were 22 cases where senior citizens were murdered – a slight increase from 16 in 2021. 14 incidents of assault on elderly women with intent to outrage her modesty were also reported in the national capital.
Why Have Senior Citizens Become A Target?
Speaking to The Quint, Special Commissioner of Police (Special Police Unit for Women and Children – SPUWAC) K Jegadesan, said that the rise in crime against senior citizens is due to them being "vulnerable" as compared to others.
"It's not as though crimes take place only against senior citizens. They are more prone towards it as most of them residing in Delhi stay alone as their children must have relocated to different parts of India or across the world," Special CP Jegadesan said.
"With children migrating out of India, the elderly are left to be neglected. They stay alone, and feel lonely. This makes them a soft-target to such crimes," said Prakash Narayan Borgaonkar, Executive Director, Anand Vridhashram Seva Trust, an Maharashtra-based NGO catering to the elderly.
Senior Delhi Police officials who spoke to The Quint said that in the last four years there has been a significant rise in the number of theft/robbery cases against senior citizens.
For the last three consecutive years, the number of cases registered under theft has remained above 600.
"While there are crimes happening across the spectrum, we have noticed that robbery/stealing has become a common pattern of crime against senior citizens," a Delhi Police official said.
'In Most Cases, Accused Knew Victim'
In September 2023, a 79-year-old woman was murdered at her house in southwest Delhi's Kishangarh. The killer was a 22-year-old youth who delivered food to her house on a regular basis.
In February 2023, 88-year-old Shanti Devi was found murdered in her house in northeast Delhi's Dayalpur. Devi was murdered by three people who visited her house for renovation a few months ago.
In both cases, the accused was someone known to the victim.
"Most of the thefts/murders at the homes of elderly were usually carried out by a domestic help or someone who has worked at the house or knows the person. They mostly have a basic knowledge of where the valuables are kept in the house. They take advantage of this."
The above mentioned Delhi Police official added that the accused is mostly "keeping an eye and watching" the elderly people before they carry out the crime.
"Sometimes, an elderly person visits the bank to collect cash. The robbers watch out for that. Since you are alone and aged, they take advantage and try to rob you," the Delhi police official said.
How Unsafe is Delhi For Elderly?
With Delhi reporting more numbers, does this mean that the city is more crime-prone than the others? Not necessarily, said Himanshu Rath, the founder of Agewell Foundation — an organisation which which works for the welfare and empowerment of older persons.
"The crime rates in Delhi are higher due to the presence of a large population of senior citizens when compared to other cities. By merely reading the NCRB data, we can't infer that Delhi is an unsafe city," Rath said.
Speaking to The Quint, Special CP (SPUWAC) K Jegadesan said:
"More number of cases in Delhi may also be a reflection of increased awareness about the need for registering crimes than an actual increase in the incidence of crime against senior citizens."Special CP K Jegadesan told The Quint
The NCRB report too underlines that the data records the incidence of registered crime, not the actual occurrence of crime.
The Delhi Police's SPUWAC has a special cell that takes care of the elderly who live by themselves in the city. As of December 2023, the Senior Citizen Cell under the SPUWAC has over 49,069 registered senior citizens who the police regularly check on.
"We are in constant touch with the elderly persons living alone or with their spouse. Every locality has a designated beat constable to check on their well-being. Not just that, we help them with anything they want us to. We also conduct regular service audits, and repeatedly advice them to install security equipments like safety locks," Jegadesan told The Quint.
'Always Alert Of Our Surroundings'
70-year-old Suresh Kaul, who has been residing in Delhi for the last 54 years, told The Quint that the national capital had "definitely become more unsafe than ever."
"I feel unsafe when I am alone in my house or when I step outside for an early morning work. There are a number of cases of robberies, where senior citizens are harmed. The criminals have become more innovative, brazen, barbaric, remorseless and have no fear of law catching up with them... I prefer to move in pairs or in a group for my own safety," Kaul said.
Senior citizens across Delhi-NCR whom The Quint spoke to said that while they do not feel unsafe in the city, they are extremely cautious when they travel alone.
"I have been hearing a lot of news about chain/mobile snatching over the last few months. Since then, I have become very careful when I step out of the house in the evening. I ensure that my children accompany me," said 74-year-old Surendra Kumar, a resident of Saket.
Several seniors citizens have also formed their own associations and WhatsApp groups through which they coordinate and organise meetings, workshops and awareness lectures.
"The beat constables are in constant touch with us in our area. They visit us frequently. In places like Malviya Nagar, we live like neighbours and are always there for each other," said 82-year-old Ashok Prabhakaran, president of the Malviya Nagar senior citizen associations.
While the Delhi Police claimed that beat constables were regularly visiting the elderly people, Kaul said: "Senior level policemen need to interact regularly with the citizens, RWAs and senior citizens Associations and not just do it occasionally."
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