KOCHI: Last month, the Ernakulam Rural police arrested three people in connection with the theft of motorcycles parked by the road. According to the police, the trio was responsible for many similar robberies in Chalakudy, Nedumbassery, and Varappuzha. The gang used to sell vehicle parts to lead a luxurious life.
In another case, the Perumbavoor police arrested a four-member gang for stealing a high-end vehicle belonging to a resident of the area. The police caught two members of the group while they were roaming around with the stolen vehicle.
Further investigation revealed that this gang is also responsible for other thefts. Shockingly, the seven people who were arrested by the police were not experienced robbers, in fact, most of them had just turned 18 a couple of months ago. Three of them were minors.
According to the police, most of the culprits behind bike robberies are under 20. While the majority of them are using the vehicle for crimes like chain snatching and drug peddling, the rest of them sell the parts to get some extra money.
“When we looked at statistics related to automobile robberies in the city, we realised that roughly 80 per cent were committed by people under 20 years of age. The majority of these minors hail from broken households. It is disturbing that their numbers are increasing every day,” said Jayakumar Chandramohan, ACP, Central, Ernakulam.
With the number of cases on the rise, Ernakulam city police have issued a ‘red alert’ in the city. The public has been instructed to stay alert. In most cases, the carelessness of the owners makes the job easier for these thieves.
Meanwhile, in the rural limits of the city, as many as 50 bike theft cases were reported in the last six months alone. While the police recovered 30 of these bikes, they are still searching for the rest. Here again, nearly 80 per cent of the culprits are youngsters.
Peer pressure
District police chief (Rural) K Karthik says peer pressure among teenagers is believed to be a major factor for their involvement in such crimes. “Even if many were coming from lower-income families, they wanted to experience the same privileges as wealthy families,” he said.
He said they need guidance to prevent such incidents.