Ludhiana | Non-local snatchers, robbers giving cops a run for their money

Ludhiana cops say the umpteen means of transportation and easy movement between the cities are to blame for non-local robbers committing crimes and fleeing

Despite expending energy and resources in keeping tabs on known Ludhiana-based snatchers, petty thieves and robbers, police are often blindsided by inter-district gangs, which hop from one city to the next, giving the cops a run for their money.

The Ludhiana commissioner says that small-time criminals meet gangsters in jail, where they form their own small gangs. Later, they commit crimes in other cities, with local aides. (Representative Image/HT File)

Cops say the umpteen means of transportation and easy movement between the cities are to blame. They are drafting out a plan of action to strengthen security at entry and exit points to the city.

“It has been observed that the culprits are repeat offenders, already facing trial in criminal cases in different cities. As they are already under the scanner of the police in a particular city, they move to other places and flee after committing the crime,” says commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar.

The commissioner says that small-time criminals meet gangsters in jail, where they form their own small gangs. “After getting bail, they execute crimes in new cities, with the help of their local aides,” he says, while adding that the accused usually stay in rented accommodations in the city for a short span of time.

On what is the way out, Bhullar says, “We will request the court to increase the security deposit needed to bail out the accused. We will also initiate action against people who do not get their tenants verified by the police, which allows them to hide.”