Police say Saira Sultan Mujahid was alone at her house in Guruwar Peth when a veiled woman along with three masked men forced themselves in and attacked her with blades.

``My husband and kids were away,'' said Saira, ``when the woman came into the house and asked for some water. Immediately three others came in and brandishing blades asked for all the valuables. They also attacked me with the blades.'' According to her husband, Sultan, this is the first time that miscreants had ever attacked anyone in the neighbourhood. ``We are surprised how they managed to come in broad daylight and our house is on a street that is very crowded in the afternoon. My wife could not even cry out for help as the men were carrying blades.''

Police Inspector in charge of Khadak police station, V R Pawar agreed that this was the first time that such an incident hadoccurred in the heart of the city which is always very crowded: ``It is very surprising that the culprits could do this in broad daylight.''

Razaq, a rickshaw driver who had parked his vehicles across the road when the incident occurred said that he did not notice anything suspicious. ``I only came to know that something was amiss when the police arrived.'' In the evening Deputy Commissioner of Police, (Zone I) Ajit Patil also visited the scene of crime.