With the on-going lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus and fewer people venturing out, crime across the country has seen a sharp drop. The crime rate in Guwahati, too, has gone down drastically.
Crime saw a significant decline over the past one month, since the government of Assam banned all public gatherings, followed by the nationwide lockdown that took effect from 25 March, said Munna Prasad Gupta, Commissioner of Police, Guwahati.
In the same vein, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Jayant Singh told G Plus, “Vigilance of the administration and the coronavirus scare has become a deterrent for the criminals.”
However, he added that some cases of burglary and dacoity have come to light.
One such incident came to light on April 15 when a dacoit entered a residence in Rajgarh area of the city.
“A miscreant entered our house at around 4 PM. He claimed to be suffering from coronavirus and threatened us to give him money or he would spit all over our place,” the victim informed.
A case was registered in this regard and the police are currently investigating the matter.
“We are cracking down on all suspicious movement. We have also deployed drones to help us keep track of even the smallest movement,” a senior police official told G Plus.
He added that there has been a step up in vigilance in Guwahati as well as other parts of the state. The sealing of borders has also proved helpful in lowering the crime rate.
Assam police arrests 1753 people for lockdown violation
While crimes have gone down, traffic violations have witnessed a steep increase during the lockdown period as the police continue to take steps against lockdown offenders.
As on April 17, the Assam police has reported 1735 incidents of lockdown violation and registered 937 cases in this regard. A total of 1753 people have been arrested so far while many have faced lathi charge / punishments.
Further, the police have detained 14884 vehicles including 19 boats and also collected fines worth Rs. 71,05,900 from offenders.
While many had speculated that the government would put relaxations during the second phase of lockdown, the Indian government instead emphasized on stricter vigilance.
As the country moved towards the second phase of the lockdown, Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta announced that the Assam Police will act more strictly and warned that the police will take strict action if anyone violates the rules of the lockdown.
Requesting the people to co-operate with the police and to stay at home during this period, he added, “No person will be allowed to take out their personal cars. If anyone comes out of their houses in any emergency, they will have to come with a valid authorization letter and ID card.”
Police will be compelled to take strict action against those who do not maintain social distancing, Mahanta said. The DGP further stated that till April 20, there won’t be any relaxation and therefore, urged the people to maintain discipline.