The city police have said they are aware that the summer holidays are commonly used by housebreakers to increase their activity and so the police have increased night patrolling in the city.
The city police have said they are aware that the summer holidays are commonly used by housebreakers to increase their activity and so the police have increased night patrolling in the city. Local police stations and the Mumbai Crime Branch have initiated special drives to nab professional housebreakers.
“We are aware that housebreakers take advantage of the summer vacations and increase their activities. As such, we have increased police patrolling, especially in areas that are prone to house break-ins,” said deputy commissioner of police, operations, Rajkumar Vhatkar.
He added that, apart from night patrolling, the police also conduct combing operations. However, this has measure has not been very effective in nabbing housebreakers. “Combing operations have a limited impact in the city. This is because, in most cases, the accused belong to neighbouring cities. This in turn makes the detection work more difficult,” Vhatkar said.
The police have beefed up patrolling in areas like Navghar, Kanjur Marg, Vikhroli, Borivli, Dahisar, Malad, Charkop, Bhandup and Mulund. “Members of the dreaded Chaddi Baniyan gang are found to be active in these suburban areas. The local police and the crime branch have started special drives to curb housebreaking cases and arrest the people involved in these crimes,” said Vhatkar.
However, a major concern for the police is the low detection and recovery rate in housebreaking cases. While the detection rate is around 25%, recovery rate varies ranges from 10-15%.
“The valuables can be recovered in most cases. But thieves tend to spend the cash and sell the gold immediately. As a result, the recovery rate for these is low,” said another senior police official.
A police official said that, apart from the festive and vacation season, housebreakers also commonly strike during the monsoon. “In the monsoon, it becomes easy for them to break
grilled doors and windows. The sound of breaking grills cannot be heard amid the noise of the heavy rainfall. Thieves are aware of this and make the most of it,” said a senior police official.
He added that there is a specific gang that targets houses close to bushy areas. The gang is ruthless in its functioning. If anyone tries to resist the members, they even go to the extent of killing the person. The Chaddi Baniyan gang is known for such acts. “On some occasions, it had also pelted the police with stones during an attempt to catch them,” said a senior police official.
“We have been appealing to citizens to take adequate precautionary measures. We have also been taking measures to ensure that housebreaking cases do not occur,” said DCP Vhatkar.
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