BHUBANESWAR: The April 12 loot in Bairagi Nagar within the Capital City limits has sounded an alarm to people living in gated communities to take up the duty of guarding their societies.With private security guards not reporting to duty due to lockdown and thieves returning despite strict police vigil on the roads, the residents of Bairagi Nagar are now guarding their society.
Some anti-socials broke into the house of Nalinikanta Behera in the wee hours of April 12 and stole gold ornaments worth `3 lakh, `5,000 cash and a mobile phone. Behera, his wife and daughter were at their rented accommodation, while his 73-year-old mother had gone out to pluck flowers when the incident occurred.Similarly, some unidentified miscreants stole an Apple iPhone worth Rs 65,000 of Baidyanath Das, who stays about four plots away from Behera’s residence, the same day.
Behera said they accessed the CCTV footage from one of their neighbours’ in which two persons can be seen moving suspiciously near his house.The police are not pursuing the thefts robustly, he alleged. In order to avoid further untoward incidents, we have formed a group of over five persons, who are keeping a watch in the society during night, he said. Pabitra Behera, another resident of Bairagi Nagar, said there are about 70 to 80 houses in the area and they are keeping a vigil every night between 2 am and 5 am.
Bairagi Nagar Welfare Society has appointed two private security guards but they are not reporting to work since last week of March. Police are patrolling in the area, however, the frequency is less, he added. During night patrol, the group of society members carry torches and sticks to drive away anti-socials if they attempt to commit theft in the society, he added.Additional CP Anup Sahoo said PCR vans personnel have been asked to frequently patrol residential areas of the Capital to avoid any incident of theft.