BENGALURU: Pankaj Pande (name changed), an engineering student from northwest Bengaluru, recently approached police saying his laptop, kept on the table in his room, had gone missing. Another student from the locality complained his
mobile phone was missing from his room. In both cases, the culprits had stolen the valuables through open
windows.
In less than a month, city police have received at least 45 complaints of window theft, which they describe as a typically ‘summer crime’.
Prompted by the spurt in complaints, Annapurneshwarinagar police from west Bengaluru have distributed handbills to residents in their jurisdiction, explaining the precautionary measures to be taken to avoid ‘summer crimes’.
“Window theft is the most common offence seen between March and May,” said Ravi D Channananavar, deputy commissioner of police, west division. “People usually keep their windows open to beat the heat and go to sleep. Daily-use valuables like mobile phones, wallets and laptops left by the window at night are easy targets for thieves,” he added.
“Not just objects kept near windows, even things placed at a distance can be targeted through open windows,” said M Boralingaiah, deputy commissioner of police, southeast. “We have seen cases of miscreants stealing clothes, footwear and other material using long wooden sticks or rods through the windows,” he explained.
Who are they?
Window thefts aren’t the domain of hardened criminals, but amateurs in the age group of 20 to 35. “They don’t look for costly valuables locked in cupboards. All they eye are pens, laptops, clothes and footwear,” a police officer said.
“Window thieves commit offences to meet their small-time needs like money for drugs/alcohol, or to repay loans. Since they never enter houses and operate only through windows, they don’t attack the house occupants,” police said.
Burglars on the prowl
Summer is the peak season for burglaries too. “Houses located on the outskirts and deserted places are targeted during summer, especially if they happen to be locked for long,” said Chetan Singh Rathor, deputy commissioner of police, north division. According to Rathor, a padlock on the gate or front door, heaps of journals and newspapers lying at the doorstep, lights turned on through the day, dust in the main lobby and corridors are easy indicators for burglars on the prowl.
Pardish gangsters
Pardish gangsters, based in Gujarat, are on the top of cops’ lookout list during summer. The nomadic gangsters are known for their ‘silent operation’ at night.
Umesh SK, deputy superintendent of police, Bengaluru Rural, said Pardish gangsters hide behind compound walls of houses they’d have already identified. They carry tongs that can bend window grills in seconds and create larger openings to enter a house.
Before entering the house, the gangsters strip and apply oil all over their body to ensure that even if they are caught they can slip away.
