Elderly woman lives in fear as criminals repeatedly target family home

An elderly pensioner in Riet River is living in constant fear after her century-old family home became a repeated target for robbers and drug addicts, forcing her to take extreme measures to protect herself and her belongings.

Maya Sirkar, a long-time resident of the area, says her life has been overtaken by anxiety and frustration as criminals continue to break into her home despite multiple security upgrades.

According to Sirkar, the incidents began shortly after the passing of her husband several years ago and have persisted ever since, and the recent increase in scrap dealers has also further exacerbated the issue.

In an attempt to safeguard the property, Sirkar’s son installed a metal wire fence around the entrance and porch.

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Additional steps included bricking up windows to prevent access. However, these efforts proved ineffective, as intruders adapted their methods – gaining entry through the roof.

Sirkar recalled a particularly frightening incident when she heard noises in her ceiling late one night. Initially resembling the sound of rodents, the disturbance quickly escalated as she realised that intruders were prying open ceiling boards in her prayer room, located just outside her bedroom.

Fearing for her safety, Sirkar locked the door separating her bedroom from the prayer room and remained inside while the suspects ransacked the area. After they fled, she discovered that several valuable items, including brassware, had been stolen.

The home itself carries significant historical value. Built over a century ago by Sirkar’s family during the era when Indian indentured labourers arrived in South Africa, the property has stood for generations.

However, it sustained serious damage during the 2022 floods, particularly to the roof and flooring, making it even more vulnerable to break-ins. Due to the ongoing threat, Sirkar has recently been staying with her daughter, only returning to the house occasionally to collect belongings.

During one such visit on Wednesday, following a break-in the previous night, she discovered her prayer room had once again been targeted. The intruders had entered through the ceiling, leaving the room in disarray. An old television set had been broken open and stripped of its components, along with a turntable and other items that were reported missing.

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The scene suggested a desperate search for anything of value. Sirkar says she now keeps every door in her home locked, carrying a large set of keys to secure each entry point.

One entrance near her bedroom has already been barricaded in an effort to limit access. Despite these precautions, the repeated breaches have left her feeling unsafe in her own home – a place that once held generations of family history, now overshadowed by fear. Sirkar is appealing to the police and authorities to intensify patrol in the area as she claims that the area is becoming a lawless land during the dark hours of the night.