Catch a thief in Metro, get ₹1,000
NEWDELHI: Mohd Ansar’s family was not happy when he decided to pursue a case against a thief who had stolen his phone from a Metro station and was nabbed red-handed in the process.
The next few days, 34-yearold Ansar, a shopkeeper, spent most of his time doing rounds of the police station and a local court.
Friday, however, was a proud moment for Ansar, when Delhi Police handed him, and 58 others like him, a reward of Rs 1,000 and a certificate of bravery each for nabbing a thief on Metro trains.
The Metro bravehearts, as police now calls them, who were felicitated on Friday included an unemployed youth, an army colonel, a college student and a businessman.
“I believe it is a duty of every citizen to file a police complaint in a criminal case. I had got my phone back and could have easily avoided getting into the legal hassle, but the thief theb might have gone to target other passengers,” Ansar said.
This year, more than 520 peoplee have been arrested for thefts on Metro trains and in stations, 59 of who were nabbed by the Metro bravehearts.
At least 30 cases of thefts are reported from Metro stations every day with almost an equal number of cases going unreported by passengers who want to avoid legal hassles. With initiatives — like the “Metro bravehearts” — the police now has been trying to encourage commuters to check the number of thefts.
“We want the hesitation of commuters to file a complaint to end. In many cases, a commuter hands over a suspect to us but refuses to file a complaint. In such cases, we have no option but to let the accused go. The suspects often return to the Metro system and target other passengers. People want the society to improve, but they don’t want to appear as witness. By rewarding them, we hope we are able to make Metro crime free,” said Pankaj Singh, deputy commissioner of police at Delhi Metro.
Around 28 lakh passengers use the Delhi Metro every day. This year, till October, around 11,000 cases of theft were registered with the police.
Last year, only 3% of the total cases registered were solved. This year, the number has increased to 22%, thanks to passenger proactiveness.