PANAJI
In a State where the law enforcement agency claims to have in place various measures for senior citizens’ safety, offenses against older adults saw an increase by 62 percent last year.
Of 50 cases, four citizens were hacked to death. The brutal double murder of Minguel Miranda and his mother-in-law Caterina Pinto in Fatorda were among the two cases of murder registered in 2021.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for the last calendar year reveals the State reported 50 cases of ‘crime against senior citizens,’ a considerable increase from 31 cases reported in 2020 and 40 cases in the preceding year. These cases also constitute criminal trespass, forgery, grievous and simple injuries, cheating, kidnap, etc.
Zero conviction has also been a cause of concern for Goa where the proportion of senior citizens is highest in the country. The State also has one of the highest pendency of cases.
Data indicates that while the pendency percentage is at 97.8, the small State has reported zero convictions in 2021 and 2020 whereas four cases have ended up in acquittal.
The police have admitted that in four other cases, the investigation team disposed off the FIRs owing to either insufficient evidence or untraceable suspects, or lack of clues, despite the facts of these cases being true.
Out of 50 cases reported last year, 28 are pending investigation, 21 are charge-sheeted and one case was ‘abated’ during the probe.
In all, 182 cases are pending trial of which 30 were charge-sheeted in 2021 which included FIRs of the previous year.
The State police have repeatedly claimed that they have set up a system to ensure that senior citizens, living without a family, are safe. The State police also maintain a record of such elderly with the help of a survey by the beat police, who are also assigned the task to visit these elders regularly.
