Srinagar, Apr 17: How active can be the cops when thieves manage to target preys right under the police nose: Be it outside a Thana or a secured area under CCTV surveillance. Well, this has been the state of policing in the summer Capital for the past over a year as car lifters and other thieves enjoy their field day out while cops grope for clues.
 While the burglaries have gone so rampant that the thieves don’t mind carrying a load carrier along, presumably for easy transportation of the plunder, the motor vehicles don’t seem to be safe even when parked near a police station or locked inside a garage.
 And, all this isn’t happening unnoticed as the victims get their complaints filed with the police while its classifieds versions like ‘Car Stolen’ are going frequent in newspapers so much so that some days back two ‘Car stolen’ notices popped up in a day in daily Greater Kashmir.

THE GENESIS
 Since early 2010, there have been frequent complaints of thefts in the City while hardly any of the cases has been solved till date.
 From Soura in north City to Hyderpora in the south, complaints poured in from almost all the areas of Srinagar.
 Interestingly, there was even a complaint from central City area of highly fortified Gupkar, which houses the residence of Chief Minister,Omar Abdullah.
 A bike was reportedly stolen from Gupkar, from a spot which is barely a few furlongs away from the CM’s residence. Thereafter, there was no looking back.  A house at Hyderpora belonging to a prominent medico settled in the Madinah was targeted.
 Interestingly, the house was targeted barely a few days after the residents of Gulberg Colony shot an SOS to the police that “several thefts had taken place in the area” asking the cops to be alert. But as the police didn’t respond, there were more of thefts in the area, including those in broad daylight and even close to heavily secured installations.
 One such target remained the house of a top Vet bureaucrat, whose house falls in the proximity of the private residence of a Union Minister. Electronic goods, cash and jewelry were stolen from there never to be recovered by police.

DARING CAR THEFTS
 If the houses aren’t safe from burglaries, so aren’t the adjacent garages. This is what came true in January when the car lifters decamped with an Alto from garage of a retired government official living in uptown Nishat.
 On the intervening night of January 2 and 3, the car lifters sneaked into the house of Bashir Ahmed Wani, at Brain Nishat and managed to take away the car JK01K 0934.
 After a few days, a Maruti 800 JK02AB 7673 was stolen from near the Police Station Sadder at Barzulla.
 On the other hand, areas understood to be under the regular surveillance of police CCTV cameras too aren’t immune to the car lifters.
 On February 24, a car was stolen from near MA Road, from a spot believed to be under the police scanner. A government employee Manzoor Ahmed Bhat had parked the Maruti 800 JK01J 9204 just outside a PDD office there.
 Same day another car was stolen was from the City and both the incidents popped as ‘Maruti Stolen’ classifieds.
 While the people were expressing concern over two car thefts in a day, a day after that one more car was stolen. This time a few furlongs away from Police Post Bemina.
 Its owner, a government employee with State Institute of Education (SIE) had parked the vehicle in his offices premises only to find it missing at the time of leaving for home. Interestingly, while the three cars became the targets, two wheelers didn’t remain safe either.
 A bike was stolen from outside Malteng graveyard the same week when the owner was attending a congregational Fateha Khawani at the graveyard.

NOBODY EXCEPT POLICE SAFE?
 Last year a Maruti was stolen from outside a Masjid in Raj Bagh area when its owner was attending a Tabhleegi meet inside. Many expressed shock that how could thieves target Musalees and decamp with their car. But that was last year. In the latest, this year a car which ferried an Imam to a Masjid in Bemina area was stolen when he was leading congregational Friday Salah.

POLICE EXCUSE
 When contacted the City police chief, Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari claimed that the police was trying its best to crack the cases.
 “We have constituted special teams in south and West City to solve the cases and I was told that some 10 -15 vehicles have been recovered so far,” the SSP claimed.
 He pleaded the police inability in cracking the crime cases saying the department remained busy in tackling law-and-order situation.
 Referring to the last year summer unrest, he said: “As the police remained over busy restoring normalcy, the miscreants got time to flex their wings.”
 “Basically Srinagar remained a hot seat for three consecutive summers. First it was Amarnath land row of 2008, 2009 witnessed unrest over Shopian while 2010 summer unrest stretched for months together… It obviously takes time to recover,” said his colleague.

BOTTOM-LINE
 Reasons to crime surge could be many. But then burglars have a field day out despite the instructions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who insists that peace has been restored and police should get back to their routine policing.
 Interestingly, the Inspector General of Police Shiv Morari Sahai has been holding similar opinion. The top cop is understood to have asked his strong Khaki force to be role models for the society.
 And to be the role model, Sahai who was rated amongst top Heroes of 2010 by a leading New Delhi based daily for his Intelligent Policing, doesn’t want the cops to be “glamour boys.”
 The IGP has often been of the opinion that their approach of policing particularly in tackling crime cases could make cops the role models.
 But then the City police is perhaps yet to respond to the wake up calls as burglars enjoy a field day while police gropes for clues!

THE MOCKERY
*Despite public SOS to police, thefts on rise

*Bike goes missing from near CM’s residence

*Burglars use tipper to ferry plunder in Hyderpora

*Cars stolen from outside police stations

*Even garages, CCTV monitored spots unsafe

*Imam’s car stolen from outside Masjid

*Mourner’s bike stolen at graveyard

*Govt employee’s car stolen from office near Police Post Bemina
(Source complainants)

Lastupdate on : Sun, 17 Apr 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 17 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:00:00 IST