Two men robbed an elderly couple at knifepoint in the Sama area of Vadodara on Monday afternoon after first asking the couple an unusual question — whether they had voted in the civic election.
The alleged crime occurred around 2 p.m. at a bungalow in Santoshinagar Society, where 83-year-old T P Radhakrishnan lives with his wife. Police said the two men knocked on the door and when Radhakrishnan approached, one asked if he had voted in the election. Radhakrishnan said he does not have a voter ID and thus had not voted.
The men asked a few more questions, prompting Radhakrishnan to open the door. At that moment, the second man — who had partially covered his face with a cloth — stepped forward and the duo forced their way in.
According to Radhakrishnan's complaint, the men brandished a knife and warned him not to make a sound. When Radhakrishnan shouted for help, his wife rushed out of another room. The robbers threatened her as well and covered her mouth with a cloth.
The accused first removed the gold rings worn by the couple and then dragged them into the room that had their cupboard. They opened it and took cash, jewellery, a bank locker key, and the couple's mobile phones. Before leaving, the robbers locked the couple inside the room. Radhakrishnan later banged on a window to alert his neighbours, who rushed to their help and freed them.
"We suspect the accused had scouted out the colony and knew that the couple lived alone. We are analysing CCTV footage of the suspects," said A M Gadhvi, inspector of Fatehgunj police station.
Society residents said the robbery has raised security concerns, adding that the area had witnessed quite a few burglaries in the past year.
