Residents of Shimlapuri and Daba localities woke up to a trail of destruction on Friday morning after three bike-borne men went on a rampage, smashing the windowpanes of more than 50 parked cars using baseball bats and bricks.
The incident, which reportedly occurred in the early hours of the morning, sparked outrage in the area. Later in the day, local residents managed to catch hold of two of the suspects and handed them over to the police. However, the delayed response by authorities triggered a protest outside the Basant Park police post.
“I was shocked to see my car’s windowpane completely shattered. When I stepped out, I saw at least 10 other cars in my street with similar damage,” said Raju, a resident of Shimlapuri. “We checked CCTV footage from nearby houses and saw three young men on a motorcycle, smashing car windows with bats and bricks.”
The vandalism spree covered multiple areas, including Shimlapuri, Basant Park, Barota Road, Azad Nagar, Star Road, Preet Road and Guru Gobind Nagar Road. So far, the police have received 25 official complaints though the actual number of affected vehicles is believed to be higher.
Local residents alleged that despite calling the police soon after discovering the damage, no officer visited the area in the morning. “We informed the police right away, but no one came for hours. It was only after we caught two of the accused ourselves, they finally showed up,” said a protester during the demonstration outside the police post.
{{/usCountry}}Local residents alleged that despite calling the police soon after discovering the damage, no officer visited the area in the morning. “We informed the police right away, but no one came for hours. It was only after we caught two of the accused ourselves, they finally showed up,” said a protester during the demonstration outside the police post.
{{/usCountry}}The two apprehended suspects reportedly confessed to the act and admitted that they were intoxicated at the time, the police said.
According to assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Kapil Kumar, in-charge of the Basant Park police post, “We have taken the two suspects into custody. The matter is under investigation and an FIR will be registered based on the findings. The suspects have admitted to being under the influence of liquor during the incident.”
Another resident, Manjeet Singh, said that it is not the first incident in the city. Earlier, unidentified miscreants had damaged windowpanes of several cars parked in streets, he said. He suspected involvement of the suspects in the past such incidents. Singh also suspected that the accused damaged the windowpanes of the cars with intention to steal the valuables, but they did not find anything. He also demanded strengthening of night police patrolling in the areas to deter the criminals.