Where criminals go scotfree
Cases remain unregistered
From Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service

GURGAON, Oct 23 — Residents of the district, especially Gurgaon city, are in the grip of fear following rise in the rate of crime in the past two months.

Although the city has been witness to various kinds of crimes, violence against women is the new trend that has emerged, especially in the city. There have been crimes galore against the fairer sex, albeit in a majority of the cases, criminal cases are not registered.

The administration and the police have apparently failed to instill a sense of fear among the criminals as they choose targets and execute their nefarious designs at will and with impunity. A study of the locus of crimes in the district and their frequency in the past two years suggests a definite pattern. The criminals go on a spree in spells. They lie low after the police reacts to their crimes. They again hit back, and continue for some days at a stretch after the police becomes complacent.

The shooting of a prominent jeweller of the city, Mr Satish Jain, a day before yesterday, resulting in his death and injuries to his daughter and his driver by unidentified persons has sent ripples among all sections of society. The manner in which Mr Jain was shot grates on the sensibility of the residents. The father and daughter were returning home from their showroom in a car. Two scooter-borne youths opened fire on them as the car reached their house. In a well-planned operation a group of persons were waiting in a car at some distance from the place of the incident. They too proceeded to pump bullets in the car.

This was the second attack on Mr Jain. A few months ago a gang called "D and company" had demanded ransom money from local industrialists and traders. The demand was for several lakhs of rupees from each of the industrialists the gang approached them on telephone.

In this connection, the gang had also attacked family members of some of the persons who were asked to pay up. Mr Jain and his family members were also those who had been attacked near their residence while returning from their showroom. The police had arrested the kingpin of the gang, a dismissed constable of the Delhi police, along with some of his associates.

Reports suggest the members of the gang had been lying low and approached some of the industrialists not to give any incriminating evidence to the police and in the court against them.

The traders and the industrialists who were part of the procession accompanying the body of Mr Jain to the crematorium today said they would soon meet to take stock of the deterioration in the law and order situation.

In a related development on the law and order front, several groups of lumpen elements went on a rampage in the main sadar market of the city on Dasehra evening. In an area of about 200 metres they molested girls, some of whom were accompanied by their parents.

A few days ago, a couple had gone out in Sector 31 for a postprandial walk. Some unidentified persons beat up the husband and allegedly raped the wife. No case has been registered in this connection.

In another development, the body of a young woman clad in a T-shirt and jeans was found near Jharsa village.

This apart, cases of theft burglary, chain snatching, forcible taking away of vehicles have increased recently.

On account of the growing instance of thefts and other sorts of crime the administration has already invoked special measures ordering mandatory vigil by the villagers under the supervision of the respective gram panchayats.