Thefts rise in first 2 months of the year

The railway commuters have fallen prey to thefts like pick-pocketing, saw a steep rise only in the first two months of this year. The Government Railway Police (GRP) has registered as many as 385 cases of pickpocketing between January and February this year as against 231 cases that were registered last year.

The commuters have lost valuables worth Rs 1.96 crore in 762 incidents in first two months of this year. In 2016, they lost Rs 1.59 crore in various incidents.

The GRP officials said that these theft cases involved chain snatching, cut pocketing, pick-pocketing, bag lifting, bag dropping and others. The officials said that the crimes involving robberies have dropped and the 'silent crime' on the other hand has seen a rise.

The officials have identified areas of Thane, Dadar and Kurla which were vulnerable to thefts like pick pocketing. "Around 20 percent of the juveniles have been involved in theft cases as compared to the adults who also commit thefts," said a senior GRP official.

"The special squad involves a beat system where one railway police keeps a watch on suspicious people moving on the railway platforms. The officer informs the team in case of emergency and nabs the offender after laying a trap on them," said Samadhan Pawar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, GRP.

The railway police have also kept tabs on the movements of the habitual offenders in the city and have externed at least 60 of them last year. Around 15 habitual offenders were externed from the city limits in the first two months.