'Old Lady Killer' Set to Strike Again

Police in Mexico City have warned that a serial killer believed to have strangled at least 24 old women in the capital since 2003 is likely to strike again soon.

Police say the murderer, dubbed Mataviejitas ("little old lady killer"), is probably a man dressed as a woman who cons his way into homes by pretending to be a social worker or a nurse. The latest victim was María de los Angeles Repper, 92, strangled in her bedroom on October 18.

With the killings getting closer together over the past year, there is concern that another murder is overdue. Specific fears about dates stem from the killer's activity on November 17, 2003 and on November 19 last year. "This is not mere speculation," the head of the inquiry, Renato Sales, told a press conference this week.

Mr Sales urged women over 60 living alone to avoid talking to strangers. He urged the public to watch out for elderly relatives or neighbours accompanied by unfamiliar people. He denied a report that police had hired old women to loiter in shopping malls and parks to trap the killer.

The police have been heavily criticised for dismissing evidence of serial murders as media sensationalism until this summer, and then for a ham-fisted swoop on transvestite prostitutes last month.