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Gurugram: 16 burglaries in three days shock South City-2
Gurugram A spate of thefts and burglaries in South City-2, with at least 16 incidents reported in the area over the last three days, has left residents living in
Gurugram A spate of thefts and burglaries in South City-2, with at least 16 incidents reported in the area over the last three days, has left residents living in fear. Residents of the area expressed concern over the number of incidents and said they are afraid to leave their houses locked.
The number of such instances has been on the rise for the last one month, the police said.
Residents said that most of the burglaries took place in Block-D, in which there are 140 apartments, mostly occupied by working couples. They said that these incidents took place when the couples left for work or between 3am and 6am.
“Surprisingly, the incidents take place during the day as the apartments are locked. We wonder how the thieves get to know which houses are locked. The thieves have done a reconnaissance of the area and knew about the locked apartments, despite the deployment of security guards,” said Vinod Aggarwal, one of the victims, whose house was ransacked.
Residents also alleged that security guards do not maintain any records of the visitors, despite repeated reminders. “As the election campaign is on, outsiders are seen in the area distributing election-related pamphlets and tuck them in the door latch. These incidents have increased recently. Even their entry and exit is not recorded,” said Aggarwal.
The victims on Wednesday alleged that despite repeated incidents of burglaries, police patrolling has been lax.
On Tuesday afternoon, two burglaries were reported from the area within two hours and neighbours informed the inhabitants of the houses, who were at work. Unidentified persons allegedly broke into the houses in Block-D and decamped with jewellery, cash and foreign currency.
Aatif Hashmi, another resident, who is also a victim of burglary, said, “My sister and I had left for Delhi and within a short time, we were informed of the theft by our neighbours, who had already given a verbal statement to the police. We rushed back and were shocked to find all the three rooms were ransacked and cash, jewellery and electronic gadgets were stolen.”
On Wednesday, three men allegedly broke into a house in the same block and stole jewellery and cash. Ramesh Kumar, the owner of the house, said, “I was out of station and my wife had gone to a market in the afternoon, around 2pm. When she returned after an hour, she saw that the house had been ransacked. The thieves had stolen jewellery worth at least ₹4 lakh and ₹25,000 in cash.”
Residents said that cases have been registered at Sector 50 police station.
Kumar pointed out that one of the challenges to total security in the sector is that there is lack of interaction among residents, which prevents them from coming together and becoming the eyes and ears of the locality.
On Wednesday, at least 10 residents of the block met the station house officer (SHO) of the police station, seeking increased patrolling to prevent frequent burglaries.
Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that they have registered the cases and have asked police teams to obtain CCTV footage from different spots in the area. “We are conducting an investigation and have recorded the statements of the residents and security guards. We have intensified patrolling in the area and have asked residents to inform the guards before leaving for the day,” he said.
