With carjacking on the rise, Mumbai police are planning to closely study the nature of incidents to learn if the robbers are targeting a specific area.
With carjacking on the rise in the city, businessmen and top executives are a concerned lot
* Two men forced open a Lancer standing at a signal near Vile Parle station on September 17. They threatened the owner, who was at the wheel, with chopper and revolver and made him drive the car to an ATM centre. There, they forced him to withdraw Rs 44,000 and also robbed his cellphone and sunglasses.
* Four men attacked the owner of Toyota Qualis on LJ Road, Mahim, snatched the keys from him, and sped away with his car in January.
* In December last year, three men robbed a Honda City owner at gunpoint on Bandra flyover.
* In October last year, a gang of five men who allegedly targeted cars, was busted in Gamdevi. The gang members forcibly entered vehicles, demanded the occupant’s ATM card at gunpoint and steal money from his account.
With carjacking on the rise, Mumbai police are planning to closely study the nature of such incidents to learn if the robbers are targeting any specific area. “We will try to ascertain whether these robbers, who target car owners, are operating in any specific area or a stretch of road,” Police Commissioner Dhananjay Jadhav told DNA. “Once we come to know their modus operandi, a full-fledged long term security system can be installed to curb the crime.”
Carjacking worries the business class most, as they regularly travel in their posh cars, often carrying jewellery, cash, and credit and debits cards.
While police have stepped up night patrolling to curb house break-ins in the city, carjacking will require round-the-clock foot patrolling by cops, particularly along unguarded stretches.
“We have a general security net for an entire area, but it’s difficult to patrol each and every road”, said Jadhav. “Once we identify the vulnerable points, we will beef up security there, and a few instructions can be given out to the public too.”
According to police, it may be advisable for everyday travellers to observe a few things, like not carrying too many credit/debit cards or cash if it’s not absolutely necessary. Particularly the cards of accounts with big deposits should kept at home. “In an economically developing city like Mumbai, its is very difficult to follow such norms. But citizens should try to adhere by these for their own safety”, said Jadhav.
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