Rattled by 3 thefts in one night, cops up patrolling

Stung by three thefts around the same time in Vastrapur and Ellisbridge, police have intensified patrolling and increased manpower to curb such incidents.

Despite police maintaining tight vigil, thieves broke into two shops near Vastrapur lake and made off with cash and valuables worth over Rs7 lakh in the early hours of Wednesday.

Also, around that time, valuables worth Rs46,000 were burgled from an apartment in Paldi.

In the first incident, thieves targeted Nagraj Medical Shop, opposite Sanjivani hospital near Vastrapur lake, around 4:15am on Wednesday and stole Rs5.14 lakh within two minutes.

In another incident, robbers vanished with seven laptops worth Rs1.85 lakh and Rs5,000 cash from a computer shop at Management Enclave on Mansi-Vastrapur lake road around the same time.

In the third case, valuables worth Rs46,000 were stolen from a flat when the family was sleeping on the terrace of their apartment building in Paldi. The thieves had entered through a kitchen window.

These incidents have forced the police to take stringent action. Besides night patrolling, a senior police officer has started inspecting the area in a private car, not only to catch thieves but also to check whether the policemen were doing their duty properly.

On a number of occasions, it has been found that thieves get alerted on seeing a police car with a red beacon and strike only when it leaves. So, cops have now decided to use normal cars. On Thursday, a senior police officer paid a surprise visit to several police stations in a Santro.

According to Vastrapur police inspector MK Rana, five mobile vans have been deployed for round-the-clock patrolling in his area. “We have also increased manpower for night patrolling. Two sub-inspectors have been given exclusive responsibility for patrolling,” said Rana.

It is also learned that a PCR van staff of each police station has been asked to provide the km reading at their respective stations.  “Every hour, we need to call the police station officer and give him the latest reading. Earlier, we were only required to provide the van location,” said a constable-driver of a PCR van.