Scary nights

KOCHI: Burglars and thieves continue to pose a big challenge to the city police. Though the police have increased vigil, people residing in various areas in the city have been forced to form squads and conduct night patrolling because the break-ins have gone up.

In the past two weeks itself, a series of thefts were reported from the South Kaloor area. The other day, 10 sovereigns of gold and Rs 50,000 in cash were stolen from a house at Fifth Avenue Road. The police dog squad and fingerprint experts reached the spot and collected evidence.

Locked houses continue to be the targets. Last week, an unidentified person decamped with Rs 4,000 and 3 sovereigns of gold ornaments from a residence at Shenoy Cross Road near Kaloor. There were only three women staying at the address.

Even though the number of break-ins increased, the police were neither able to nab the culprits nor prevent thefts. The police swung into action and began patrolling only after receiving a large number of complaints regarding the break-ins.

The residents have their own suspicions regarding the culprits. According to Sathyapalan, a resident of Fifth Avenue Road, a Nagercoil native, who is infamous for burglaries, might be behind the thefts.  “All the break-ins had the same signature. The burglar had been released on bail in October and is well aware of this area,” he said. It seems the burglars have become bold. “Earlier these thieves used to target only locked houses. But now they break-in even if the residents are present,” he added.

Figures say it all

According to the data with the City Police, 243 theft cases have been reported until October 31 this year. While, 73 cases of burglaries, 89 auto and 154 other thefts have been reported till October 31. Police officers said all other crimes such as murder, battery and cheating have gone down comparatively. Even though the police have been conducting night patrolling and checking vehicles, there has been no drop in the number of theft cases being registered.

South Kaloor Residents’ Association secretary Vincent said the residents have begun night patrolling in the area to tackle the thieves. “We formed four batches and patrol from 11 pm to 4 am on Sundays. The police officers have extended us all assistance,” he said.

The incident at South Kaloor is an isolated one. Cops have intensified vigil to prevent such incidents. Also theft cases have come down to a great extent
- M P Dinesh, City Police Commissioner