There has been a spurt in criminal activities in Guwahati this year. Regular instances of thefts and other pretty crimes in and around the Sarania Hills - popular for its tourist spot ‘Gandhi Mandap’ -- are giving sleepless nights to its residents. Instances include vehicle thefts, mobile snatching, chain snatching and duping people for money. Adding to the misery, the area faces infrastructure issues with broken roads and poor street lighting.
The residents depend on illumination coming from their own premises and if any untoward incident occurs, people don’t venture out to help others due to the darkness and the apathy of not wanting to get dragged into an unwanted situation. The locals are to be held responsible as they are not organised and criminals are using this for their benefit.
Narrating his own tale a resident told this reporter, “I was talking with one of my colleagues over the phone when two young boys on a motorcycle suddenly slapped me in my ear. I could not believe it happened with me. Later, a woman shopkeeper told me that phone snatching and thefts have become common in Sarania Hills.”
“From the past 3 years, there has been an increase in incidents of thefts in Guwahati. In 2015, overall 119 thefts took place and 56 thieves have been caught. In 2016, 142 cases had been registered and 94 persons were taken into custody. In 2017, 173 cases were filed and 107 persons had been apprehended,” revealed officials at Chandmari Police Station.
“The thieves are mostly drug addicts and alcoholics who are always in need of money. There is a law that one cannot drink in public areas, but there is no law that one cannot drink after the legal drinking age is reached. An alcoholic from the lower-income strata is not scared to commit petty crimes to meet his liquor needs,” added the officials.
The vehicle thieves operate in gangs across the city. Their areas are marked and they function within those areas.
The locals complained, “The security system is not appropriate, it needs to be stronger and more secure, as we worry about our well-being.”
“We are giving our best. Obviously, it is not possible to patrol the entire area, get into every nook and corner. There is a shortage of police officers and we also need officers to look after the pending cases and run the police station. Do you think a police personnel on foot patrol with a torch in his hand can find a culprit if the road is not well-lit?” an official said in defence.
The worrying part in this whole development is that these criminals are outsiders. This makes it difficult for the police to keep track of them.
“Of the thieves we have caught so far, 95% of them are outsiders (mostly from Dhubri and Barpeta). The interesting aspect is they find it good to get into police custody because of better facilities than at home,” said the official.
“We cannot force the thieves to admit to their crimes as the law does not permit the same. Plus, the courts don’t give much importance to such theft cases which has resulted in rising criminal activities over the past three years,” lamented an official of Chandmari police station.