Muchipara: A century-old north Calcutta home shared by three women from different generations was burgled for the third time in four months early on Saturday, the latest strike adding fear to the family's pain of losing its patriarch a fortnight ago.

The thieves this time took away a desktop computer and, among other things, some old brass utensils that were part of the family heirloom.

"We have told the police in writing how insecure we are feeling," said Manjulika Chatterjee, a 79-year-old with a homoeopath practice.

Manjulika, who lost her son 19 years ago and her husband this month, lives in 2 Fordyce Lane near Santosh Mitra Square with her daughter-in-law Barnali and granddaughter Sukanya. The family suspects that someone entered the three-storey house either through the balcony that is accessible from the terrace of adjoining buildings or through the window with sliding panes near the washroom.

The incident occurred hours after the family completed the shraddh of Manjulika's husband Bibhu Kumar Chatterjee, who was 88 when he died. "My mother, who is here, woke up first and found her bedroom door latched from outside. She kept pushing the door till the latch gave way," Barnali recounted.

The door of the other bedroom was also latched. "There was a footprint on the table... But when we showed it to the police, they did not react," Barnali alleged.

Two officers from Muchipara police station had visited the house in the morning.

The officer-in-charge of the police station, Pradip Das, said the family need not worry. "We have three-four units on duty at night. Our response time is two to four minutes."

After Metro spoke to him, Das and two colleagues visited the Chatterjee residence late on Saturday and asked the family to submit another detailed complaint.

The other floors of the house are occupied by members of the extended family, comprising a 95-year-old woman, her 65-year-old daughter-in-law and their domestic workers.