Pune: Smartphones make for easy pickings as street crimes up

PUNE: Street crimes, especially robberies, chain snatching and cellphone thefts, are on the rise.
The city police have registered 143 robberies and 15 dacoities till June 25 this year. For perspective, the police recorded 170 robberies and 10 dacoities in the entire 2020.

“We have taken action against criminals involved in robberies under the stringent Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act,” Pune police commissioner Amitabh Gupta said, expressing confidence the crime detection rate will increase bring down the number of street crimes.
While the stringent lockdown in 2020 had much to do with the lower number of cases last year, the figures this year are alarming as most of the past few months have been under stringent curbs.
Police said they were doing everything to curb crime, while activists and legal experts believed factors like unemployment and economic distress caused by the pandemic were at the root and called for a compassionate approach.
Many street crimes involved first-time offenders, prompting the police to take a closer look at the circumstances that caused their foray into a life of crime. “We are conducting a study on why such crimes, including those committed by first-time offenders, are on the rise and what can be done to curb them,” commissioner Gupta said.
Rajas Parchure, director of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, said there could be a link between economic situation and the increase in crime. “It is possible that people turn to street crime after facing job cuts, unemployment and other related reasons. We can make a definite conclusion after studying the profile of the offenders,” Parchure said.
Human rights activist and lawyer Asim Sarode too blamed circumstances arising from the lockdown-like restrictions. “Many don’t have money to purchase smartphones and some snatch cellphones to fulfil their needs,” Sarode said.
He further said it was difficult to track down phone snatchers as most victims don’t register a police complaint. “In some cases, the lesser value of the phone may not be worth the hassle. Robbers take advantage of practical problems faced by the police and people,” he said.
Bharati Vidyapeeth’s New Law College professor Sukrut Deo agreed. “There is lot of frustration among people mostly residing in slums due to recession, unemployment and inflation. Many domestic workers are not allowed to enter many housing societies. They are unable to deal with their frustration and it leads to aggression on the streets,” Deo said.
Anjali Pawar, director of the NGO Sakhee, said the trend of using minor boys — who cannot be punished as adults — was worrying. “If nothing is done about them, these boys will become hardened criminals as they grow older,” Pawar further said.
She said government assistance to those worst-affected by the lockdown will go a long way. “Many are without income during the pandemic. The government has given financial aid to autorickshaw drivers and sex workers. It should similarly help other, impoverished sections of the society. It is disappointing to see youngsters begging and turning to crime because they have no other option to earn money,” she said.
“The crime branch and police stations have solved 80% of the street crime in 2020 and 2021. We have made extensive use of CCTV cameras, technical investigations, emphasised collecting intelligence. Most cases involve mobile phone snatching, as it is easier to snatch and use the phone or sell it,” additional commissioner of police (crime) Ashok Morale said.