Coimbatore: Gomathi, a widowed woman aged 69 years who was living alone in a flat at Ramanathapuram, was strangled by a 24-year-old laundry worker on May 2 for her gold ornaments. The murderer, identified as Ranjith Kumar, 24, a native of Theni district, was known to the woman as he often visited her house to collect clothes for laundry. The murder came to light only the next day when her daughter flew down from London to take her to hospital for an eye surgery.In a similar incident, R Kasturi, 82, daughter of Arya Vaidya Pharmacy founder Aryavaidyan P V Rama Varier, was strangled by her Nepali domestic help and two of her accomplices on March 6 for her gold ornaments. At the time of the incident, Kasturi was alone in her apartment in a gated community near Nanjundapuram. While the city police have arrested the accused in both the cases, these two chilling murder-for-gain cases that occurred within the city’s residential hubs have sparked widespread fear among the residents. In both the cases, the accused were familiar to the victims. In response to these crimes, which sent shockwaves across Coimbatore, the city police have initiated steps to address the security lapses in the city limits by launching a massive security auditing exercise in all high-rise apartments and gated communities in their jurisdiction. According to city police commissioner N Kannan, the two murders for gain highlight a “false sense of security” prevalent in gated communities. “While many apartments employ private guards, there are significant lapses in visitor management, CCTV blind spots, and boundary wall integrity.” Under the new initiative, police personnel would visit apartment complexes with a 16-point checklist. The audit focuses on 24×7 functional surveillance at all entry and exit points, and boundary wall height. Police would also take note of the total number of houses and floors in apartment complexes, and the number of private security personnel. During the drive, they would identify the senior citizens and women living alone as well to create a dedicated safety database. A senior officer overseeing the audit says door-to-door visits are being conducted to ensure elderly residents living solo have direct communication lines with their local police stations. “Prevention is our primary goal. Patrol teams will now visit these identified individuals regularly to bridge the gap between the residents and law enforcement.” The city police have urged resident welfare associations to move beyond relying solely on physical barriers. “The ‘neighbourhood watch’ culture is currently poor in gated communities,” says V Vadivel, president, Asvini Aster Green Nest. “While we maintain records of workers, residents must become more vigilant regarding unfamiliar faces.” As the auditing teams fan out across the city, police have made it clear that security is no longer just a private matter of resident welfare associations, but a collaborative mandate to protect the city’s most vulnerable demographics from “insider” threats disguised as service providers.
