Bhubaneswar: The murder of a 76-year-old woman for gain, allegedly by her caretaker, prompted the city police on Thursday to issue a detailed advisory urging elderly residents living alone to avoid keeping large amounts of cash or jewellery at home.Police advised seniors to retain only cash needed for daily expenses and store valuables in safe deposit lockers in banks or other secure facilities. “Senior citizens living alone should adopt basic safety precautions. Avoid keeping substantial amounts of cash or jewellery at home. While disputes among family members are not uncommon, the conduct of domestic help or other outsiders cannot always be predicted. Constant exposure to valuables may sometimes create temptation and lead to wrongdoing,” said police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh.Referring to the murder of Kunjalata Nanda, police said background verification of domestic workers, though important, cannot completely eliminate the risk of crime. “She was killed by her caretaker, Balabhadra Maharana, who had no known criminal antecedents. He was engaged around five months ago through a person known to the family for several years. Human behaviour is difficult to predict. Many offenders are first-time accused, making such incidents hard to foresee or prevent entirely,” Singh said.Police officers stressed that vigilance, regular interaction with neighbours and basic security measures are critical for elderly people living alone. As part of the advisory, police urged senior citizens to always carry a valid identity card, refrain from discussing financial matters in front of strangers or domestic staff, and keep valuables in bank lockers. Residents were also advised to treat domestic workers respectfully while exercising caution in sharing personal or financial information.Police further recommended verifying identities of visitors, repair personnel and service providers before allowing entry and not permitting unknown people or relatives of household staff into their homes without proper verification. Those living alone were asked to stay connected with trusted neighbours and housing society officials.The advisory also encouraged installation of security devices such as CCTV cameras, video doorbells, door alarms and safety chains, besides avoiding obvious hiding places for spare keys. Senior citizens were urged to keep emergency contact numbers, including those of family members, doctors and emergency services, readily accessible at all times.