Mumbai, August 26:An unknown man on Thursday entered the first floor flat of a 57-year-old homemaker at Gurukripa building near Swami Vivekanand School in Chembur, where she stays as a tenant, on pretext of renovating the flat, locked the victim in the toilet and robbed cash and gold ornaments worth Rs 1.47 lakh.
The accused told the victim, Lata Bhatia, that the house owner had sent him to examine the flat before carrying out the renovation work, the Chunnabatti police said. Police said that the accused’s age is suspected to be 30.
The incident occurred around 2.45pm and before other people in the building came to know of the robbery, the accused had fled.
Bhatia was alone at home while her son, employed as finance manager in a bank, was at work. The bank leased the house and allotted it to Bhatia’s son a year ago. Bhatia, in her complaint, said, “I allowed the accused to enter the house after he said that the house owner had sent him. He said he wanted to see the flat to give quotation of the renovation to the house owner.”
While checking the house, the accused asked Bhatia to look inside the toilet and check whether it requires painting. “The accused locked Bhatia inside the toilet and robbed cash and valuables kept from the cupboard locker,” said Chunnabatti police station senior inspector Damodar Chaudhari. He said, “The guard did not check or
frisk him while entering and leaving the building. The guard will be questioned to see if whether he has any rolein the offence.”
The police said that the accused was aware that the victim is alone in the house during the day. “Neighbours rushed to Bhatia’s house after hearing her scream and unlocked her from the toilet,” police said. Based on the description provided by Bhatia, the accused’s sketch has been ve made.
–Agencies