Mohali crime graph up, courtesy thefts, burglaries

Tribune News Service

Mohali, February 15

The crime graph in the district is witnessing an upward trend with a steady rise in theft and burglary cases.

Between January 1 and February 12, 2018, as many as 33 cases of theft and 23 of burglary have been registered in Mohali. As compared with last year, theft cases, which included motor vehicles thefts and snatchings, have increased over 14 per cent.

Burglaries are on the rise too, recording an exponential 77 per cent increase as compared with 2017, when only 13 burglaries were reported from January 1 to February 11, 2017. On February 3, a thief had broken into an unoccupied house of an NRI in Sector 71 and decamped with valuables worth lakhs of rupee. On February 4, an armed robbery attempt at a senior citizen’s house in Phase VII was foiled after the elderly raised an alarm.

Last week, the Mohali police had busted a gang of three youths, putting up in a PG in Phase VII, for their involvement in at least five cases of car snatching.

A police official, said, “In a majority of snatching incidents, women are targeted outside their houses by miscreants on bikes, who speed away after snatching.”

Mohali SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal, said, “Burglaries have increased as compared to last year. We have requested people to give prior information at police stations if they are going abroad or travelling. Another reason is that more cases are now being reported at police stations. Strict instructions have been issued to all SHOs to register cases. Earlier, people faced problems while registering FIRs. In addition, we have identified certain spots and party places, where CCTVs are being installed and patrolling by PCR’s is being stepped up.”