The Hindu : Burglaries continue despite patrols, vehicle checks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 15, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

Burglaries continue despite patrols, vehicle checks

By S. Shivakumar

CHENNAI DEC. 14 . Burglars struck in more than one location in the city during the last couple of days, even as the police conducted intensified road check of vehicles and patrolled streets ahead of the President's visit.

The burglaries, at least one of which took place in a high security zone surrounding the Chief Minister's residence, has left many residents shaken. The incidents scared people in some localities, and exposed their vulnerability. The victims included a doctor in the high security zone of Poes Garden.

The police patrols and intensified check of vehicles apparently came a cropper, as the burglars were able to move with their booty unhindered. Invariably, the police spend more time checking motorists who have adequate identification and reason to be moving around, while those travelling in autorickshaws elude such measures.

Close on the heels of the Rs. 5-lakh burglary in the house of an exporter on Lynwood Lane in Mahalingapuram on Thursday night, two burglaries were came to light at JJ Nagar today.

In the first incident, burglars broke into the house of a retired revenue official at Jaswant Nagar in JJ Nagar when the inmates were away and escaped with eight sovereigns of gold jewellery and some cash.

In the other incident, culprits struck at Viswakarma Apartments in Mogappair West and escaped with 15 sovereigns of gold jewellery from the house of a private company manager.

At Poes Garden on Thursday night, the culprit broke into the outhouse of a doctor, C. Lakshmikanthan, at Raghaveera Avenue and escaped with some brass vessels, watches and some electronic items. The culprit managed to enter the house and escape unnoticed despite all visitors and vehicles who enter the street, where the film actor, Rajnikant, resides, and just behind the Chief Minister, Jayalithaa's house, being screened by armed police personnel.

The sudden rise in crime incidents is having its echo among residents who are agitated that the police were obsessed with VIP security, and did not have a system in place to take care of routine work.

The residents in Mahalingapuram and Jaswant Nagar expressed distress at the free movement of criminals in their area.

A resident of Jaswant Nagar charged that following representations to senior police officials a beat book was kept outside his house. Senior police officials assured that beat constables would regularly sign the register. However, for more than six months the register has not been signed, the resident charged.

The police are in the dark about the criminals who escaped with gold jewellery worth several lakhs from a shop at T.Nagar among the many other cases.

The induction of Qualis vehicles into the police fleet to improve the patrolling system is yet to have an impact on the overall policing in the city.

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