Passersby to the rescue in most cases

The police have not tracked down the accused in five of the seven robbery cases registered in the past two months — these don’t include those registered on Monday and Tuesday — in the central and eastern suburbs.

The police have not tracked down the accused in five of the seven robbery cases registered in the past two months — these don’t include those registered on Monday and Tuesday — in the central and eastern suburbs.

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Of the two cases detected, at Shivaji Park and Parksite respectively, it was the victims, locals and beat marshals who nabbed the culprits.

A police officer from the eastern suburbs said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media: “In most cases, the accused is nabbed within hours of the crime. Unlike cases of murder, where the accused leaves behind some evidence, there are few leads after a theft.”

He added: “In most cases, we have to rely on our informers for a tip-off, but that is not foolproof.

“Sometimes, we nab an accused in one case and it turns out he is involved in other cases as well. Or, he gives us clues in other cases. However, it’s the leads given by the victims that play a crucial role in determining how soon the case is cracked.”

He added: “If the victims inform us at the earliest, we would be in a better position to nab the accused.”