Thefts and burglaries on the rise in Jamshedpur, police on toes

Jamshedpur: A theft case of cash and gold worth Rs 2 crore from the house of Ajay Modi at Sakchi, has started giving sleepless nights to the police department. And this is at a time when the law enforcing machinery has sunk its teeth into checking property offences. Senior Superintendent of Police Prabhat Kumar has been instructed to step up vigil.

Unidentified thieves decamp with cash and ornaments worth Rs 2 crore from a locked house in Rajendranagar locality of Sakchi. Modi was on a trip to Singapore with his family.

The rise in crime has made denizens wary with most blaming the audacity of criminals and police inaction for the deteriorating law and order. Jamshedpur has witnessed about a dozen incidents of loot, burglary, snatching, extortion and theft in the past one month. But, significantly, only a few have been detected.

Police have launched an intensive arms checking drive on the streets to tackle crime but they seem to have overlooked the movement of various gangs which are roaming free and giving shape to criminal incidents with gay abandon.

The deteriorating law and order is a subject of gossip in every nook and cranny of the city. Institutions, lawyers, business community and homemakers all harp blame on the police which continues to seek support from people for controlling crime in Jamshedpur.

“I feel afraid of venturing out after dusk as you never know what will happen. Crime has increased manifold and I have lost all confidence in the police,” said Sunita Toppo, a Sakchi homemaker.

An official of Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry said police should not only focus on arms checking drives but also strengthen their information network. “Police give enough leeway to criminals who escape after committing a crime. This can be stopped after proper sealing of entry and exit points of the city,” he added.

He said the deteriorating law and order will not allow businessmen to invest in Jamshedpur. “Tell me, who would like to do business in this scenario. The business community is living in fear. This should not be allowed to continue for long. It will affect the overall economy of Kolhan,” he said.

Admitting that crime graph has gone up, a senior officer said police were taking necessary steps to control and detect crime. “We will come up with results very soon,” he claimed, indicating that they have picked some suspects involved in recent sensitive criminal cases.