Even as analysts raise a hue and cry about sketchy security on city skywalks during late hours, a senior citizen on Saturday was robbed of two gold rings in broad daylight on the Borivali skywalk. The accused simply talked the victim into handing over his valuables.
Madhav Pai, an architect and a resident of Borivali (E), had taken the skywalk on the Chandavarkar lane to go to a mobile service provider around 12.30 pm. It was raining at the time and the skywalk was almost deserted.
"A well-built man came up to me and asked me if I had a problem in my leg, as I limp a little. When I replied in affirmative, he said he was given a contract to kill a man who looked similar to me and limped as well. He said I could be thrown off the sidewalk and some people down there would shoot me," said Pai. He added that the man then asked for his identity proof and later told him that he was not the person he was looking for.
The accused, however, kept talking to Pai, who was so under such distress that he couldn't even raise an alarm. "He knew that I had a problem in my leg and wouldn't be able to run. I did not raise an alarm because I was scared that he might have a weapon.
After sometime, he told me I could go if I gave him my gold rings, worth Rs 50,000. I was so confused that I simply handed over the rings to him and walked down the staircase," said Pai.
Afterwards, Pai called his wife and their son Vivek, an assistant professor at Rizvi College and a transport planner.
"Along with my father, I went to the Borivali police station. The cops visited the crime spot and later showed us several pictures but none of them matched the description. They then made a new sketch of the accused," said Vivek.
He added that the incident exposed the lack of safety for pedestrians on skywalks.
"People will not have any confidence to use the skywalks, if such things happen. There are no guards or cameras on these stretches. The issue of safety on skywalks will surely be discussed with several town planners and transport experts. We will then send our suggestions to MMRDA," he said.
Meanwhile Ashok Datar, transport analyst and founder of Mumbai Environment Social Network, said, "One way to stop such crimes would be to make more people use the skywalks and install escalators and CCTV cameras." Datar had recently conducted a survey that revealed that several skywalks across Mumbai had very little usage, including the one in Borivali (W).
The Borivali police station has registered a case against the unknown offender under section 420 of IPC.
Madhav Pai, an architect and a resident of Borivali (E), had taken the skywalk on the Chandavarkar lane to go to a mobile service provider around 12.30 pm. It was raining at the time and the skywalk was almost deserted.
"A well-built man came up to me and asked me if I had a problem in my leg, as I limp a little. When I replied in affirmative, he said he was given a contract to kill a man who looked similar to me and limped as well. He said I could be thrown off the sidewalk and some people down there would shoot me," said Pai. He added that the man then asked for his identity proof and later told him that he was not the person he was looking for.
The accused, however, kept talking to Pai, who was so under such distress that he couldn't even raise an alarm. "He knew that I had a problem in my leg and wouldn't be able to run. I did not raise an alarm because I was scared that he might have a weapon.
After sometime, he told me I could go if I gave him my gold rings, worth Rs 50,000. I was so confused that I simply handed over the rings to him and walked down the staircase," said Pai.
Afterwards, Pai called his wife and their son Vivek, an assistant professor at Rizvi College and a transport planner.
"Along with my father, I went to the Borivali police station. The cops visited the crime spot and later showed us several pictures but none of them matched the description. They then made a new sketch of the accused," said Vivek.
He added that the incident exposed the lack of safety for pedestrians on skywalks.
"People will not have any confidence to use the skywalks, if such things happen. There are no guards or cameras on these stretches. The issue of safety on skywalks will surely be discussed with several town planners and transport experts. We will then send our suggestions to MMRDA," he said.
Meanwhile Ashok Datar, transport analyst and founder of Mumbai Environment Social Network, said, "One way to stop such crimes would be to make more people use the skywalks and install escalators and CCTV cameras." Datar had recently conducted a survey that revealed that several skywalks across Mumbai had very little usage, including the one in Borivali (W).
The Borivali police station has registered a case against the unknown offender under section 420 of IPC.
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