Girl, 11, stabs 71-year-old woman after throwing red chillies in her eyes

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, May 12, 2016: An 11-year-old girl allegedly threw red chillies in the eyes of her mother’s 71-year-old employer, stabbed her with a knife and clubbed her on the head with a porcelain exhibit at the victim’s west Delhi residence in an incident that underscores the vulnerability of the Capital’s elderly.

The girl’s mother was working as a home help for Dr Sunita Madan, who lives with her 75-year-old husband at Tagore Garden.

According to the police, the girl told the juvenile justice board that her intent was to rob the victim as her family needed money.

Authorities registered a case of attempt to murder and sent the child to Nirmal Chhaya, a Delhi government welfare institution for women and minors. Police officials say special counseling sessions will be organised for the 11-year-old.

Almost 25,000 people are registered with Delhi Police’s cell for senior citizens. The unit received 354 distress calls last year. The department also operates a dedicated helpline, 1291, for senior citizens.

The Delhi high court this year took cognisance of a police report that showed a high acquittal rate in cases of crimes against women, children and the elderly, and asked the Centre why this issue was not a priority.

According to Madan, the girl attempted to kill her while she was resting. "She came to my house and told me that her mother won’t be able to come as someone in her family had expired. She said she would work instead and so I asked her to wash utensils in the kitchen."

According to the victim, when she was entering into her drawing room, the girl threw red chilies in her eyes.

"When I asked her why she was doing this, she attacked me with a kitchen knife, thrice. She didn’t stop there; she attacked me with a big porcelain showpiece, banged it on my head and ran away. My neighbours helped me and made PCR calls," the victim told Mail Today.

Dr Madan runs a clinic in west Delhi and her husband is a senior executive in a multi-national company. The couple’s sons are settled abroad. The girl lives with her family in a nearby colony. Mail Today visited her house, but it was locked.

Deputy commissioner of police Pushpender Kumar said, "The girl has confessed to the crime and told us that she wanted to rob the victim."

Neighbours say the girl’s mother was working at another house when the incident took place. "Ms Madan came out from her house, bleeding profusely.

She had injuries on her head and neck. Immediately, a call was made to the PCR and cops reached in a few minutes. Meanwhile, the girl’s mother also reached the spot," said a neighbour.

Locals also say the girl didn’t inform or visit any other house where her mother worked to inform about her unavailability. "I was sitting in my shop when I a saw girl running from Sunita’s house. When Sunita narrated to us everything, we could not believe it as the girl is very weak and little. Later, Sunita showed knife marks and I gave her a piece of a cloth to cover up her wounds as she was bleeding profusely," said Praveen, who runs a shop near the victim’s home.