RANCHI:
Jharkhand has registered a sharp increase in the number of
thefts, robberies and dacoity ever since the unlock process began in June.
According to official figures, theft tops the list of crimes in September with 1,069 cases registered across police stations of the state. During the lockdown period in April and May, the figure was 370 and 482 respectively. The number shot up by around 47% when the unlock began in June and a total 724 theft cases were reported. It also showed a steady rise with 746 cases registered in July and 971 cases in August.
In terms of the total number of crimes too, there was a significant rise during the unlock period though no substantial increase is visible when compared with last year’s figure.
The total
crime registered in the state this year was 4,326 in April and 5,015 in May. June recorded a total of 5,458 cases while July witnessed 5,630 cases followed by August at 5,538 and September with 5,635. In 2019, the figure stood at 5,225 cases in April, 5,781 in May, 6,110 in June, 6,136 in July, 6,156 in August and 5,115 in September.
When asked whether the rise in thefts and burglary is linked to the financial distress among a large section of society, state director general of police M V Rao said , “Police will first analyse the figures and the reasons before reaching at a conclusion. Thefts and burglary often rise due to lack of livelihood but there are several other reasons behind the crimes.”
He said crime figures may have risen after the lockdown but termed the phenomenon as not abnormal.
A senior police officer, however, said ever since the unlock process began, the police were gearing up to face rise in the crimegraph. He said, “Due to the pandemic and the lockdown, a large number of people have been rendered unemployed. Many of them resorted to petty crimes like snatching to meet their basics requirements. With most people staying inside their homes, thefts and burglary cases dipped during the lockdown and most of the crimes took place on the roads.”
It may be noted that robberies on road have a large share of the total figure on robberies. In May, out of 37 cases of robberies, 35 were road robberies. The case of robberies, which increased to 52 in June comprised 49 road robberies.