Summer vacations are a source of joy not just for children, who get to go on long holidays with their families, but also for housebreakers who are lured by locked, empty houses.
Summer vacations are a source of joy not just for children, who get to go on long holidays with their families, but also for housebreakers who are lured by locked, empty houses.
Statistics of the Mumbai Police reveal that there have been as many as 13 house break-ins in the city in the past two days.
According to a senior police official, most of the housebreakers are generally small-time drug addicts. “Trends have revealed that there is an increase in housebreaking cases whenever the police become lax in their crackdown against housebreakers,” said police inspector Ashok Gajbiye.
He added that housebreakers particularly target jewellery stores, wrist watch stores and residential colonies. “The basic idea is to steal goods that can be sold off easily and that promise big money. Housebreakers are professional thieves, as they do not sell or dispose of the stolen booty immediately after a successful attempt. They hide it for some time before selling it off,” the officer said.
“In April and May, a lot of people go on vacations. As a result, their houses are locked. Even a lot of policemen go on leave during this period. Thieves use this period to their advantage. They are aware that the combing operations in this period are not intensive, as there are fewer policemen available. The night patrolling in some areas of the city is also a bit slack during the vacation period,” said an Indian Police Services officer, requesting anonymity.
He added that the April-May period coincides with the marriage season. People buy gold ornaments and keep them at home. They also tend to withdraw ornaments from bank lockers and get them home.
“The thieves are aware of this fact. It has been observed that most housebreaking incidents take place in these two months,” the officer said.
Deputy commissioner of police (operations) Rajkumar Vhatkar said: “In most cases, housebreaking is a one-man show. At most, one other person is involved in the theft to work as a watcher. They mostly keep choppers with them. However, these are meant to be used in self defence and not to harm or kill anyone.”
He added that informers are not of much help in catching housebreakers. Such robbers are commonly caught by the police during their night patrols, mostly in the wee hours. “Only a proper vigil can lead to a fall in the crime rate,” DCP Vhatkar said.
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