NEW DELHI: Who says thieves don’t have plans for summer vacations. City thieves are already on a roll and have started giving sleepless nights to Delhi police. The department’s data has revealed that house theft and burglary have seen a rise of almost 20-27% than last year.
Police said while all other crime heads such as rape, murder and robbery, have seen a nosedive, theft and burglary cases have increased. Areas, including Safdarjung Enclave, CR Park, Greater Kailash and Vasant Vihar, are under scanner of criminals. Cops are claiming that now-a-days miscreants don’t get tip-off from maids or security guards.
They are following a different modus operandi. They perform recce in posh areas and target multiple houses.
Police revealed that Delhi had witnessed nearly 3,700 cases of house theft till April 30 last year, while the number had reached 4,600 same time, this year.
Similarly, Delhi police registered 4,017 cases of burglary last year, while the figure has reached 4,800 this year. During a recent law and order meeting, Delhi Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik also asked districts to control thefts, especially during summer vacations as this crime has become a headache for Delhi police.
Explaining their mode of operating, a senior police official said, “Earlier, maids and other staff working in houses, locality used to provide information but now thieves have started developing their network by keeping a watch on the activities of people living in the areas. They distribute sets of houses among gang members, so that they can target multiple houses. Gang members visit the area during afternoon and night hours to track the movement, number of family members on a daily-basis. If they don’t notice any movement for a few days, they barge into the house.”
Last week, three people, including a French diplomat, reported thefts in Shanti Niketan area. Police said the gang targeted three houses after conducting a recce. Similarly, in February a gang of thieves stole social activist Kailash Satyarthi’s Nobel Prize replica when he was not in India. Multiple houses were targeted in Alaknanda area.