Pune: A 19-year-old caretaker tied up an 80-year-old senior citizen, threatened him with a knife, and fled with cash and a mobile phone in a shocking incident reported from Koregaon Park. The victim, who lives alone, was rescued by alert neighbors after his cries for help.

The victim’s son, Ravindra Prasad Agrawal, filed a complaint at Koregaon Park Police Station. Following the complaint, the police registered a case against Chintu Chaturvedi, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, under relevant sections of the law.

The incident occurred on January 1 between 6:45 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. at Agrasen Society, where the victim, Prasad Agrawal, resides alone. His son, Ravindra, lives with his family in Sopan Baug. Chintu Chaturvedi had been hired 15-20 days earlier to assist the elderly man with daily tasks.

On the day of the incident, Chaturvedi arrived at the residence around 6:30 a.m., as was his routine. After entering the house, he tied up Agrawal with a nylon rope and gagged him with a handkerchief in the bedroom.

Brandishing a knife, Chaturvedi threatened to kill the elderly man unless he handed over his cash. Chaturvedi then forcibly took the cash and mobile phone before locking the victim in the bedroom and fleeing the scene.

The victim managed to remove the gag and shouted for help. Hearing his cries, neighbors came to his aid and freed him. The police have launched an investigation, with Sub-Inspector Shantamal Kollure leading the case. Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend Chaturvedi.