Were these just other burglaries or were the culprits mocking the cops? On Wednesday night, burglars
them cheek by jowl to police chowkies, and while the senior inspectors of the police
stations were on their night rounds!
It seems that the burglars have made up their minds to strike at will, even if it means that cops might be close by. It may have been a coincidence, but there were burglaries at Shantinagar and Timki on Thursday, both beside police posts and while the in-charge officers of Lakadganj and Tehsil police stations respectively were on their night rounds.
The break-in near Timki police chowky happened at a jeweller’s shop, while the residence of the Harode family adjacent to Shantinagar police chowky was also robbed. Both burglaries came to the fore on Thursday morning. While these two incidents right under the noses of the cops may have left them red-faced, they were left shocked by another burglary in broad daylight in an apartment, a stone’s throw away from the RSS headquarters in Mahal. This area is virtually a security fortress, however the burglary exposed the lapses in policing, and how they can be capitalised upon.
In another queer turn, the burglars sent a strong message by killing a pet dog in the house which they robbed. The century-old Shrirang Jewellers at Timki suffered a loss of Rs 2.50 lakh while the Harode family of Shantinagar lost Rs 50,000 in the burglaries. These may not be hefty sums, but the fact that these incidents took place at sites within sight of cops, has immeasurably hurt the morale and confidence of the cops as well as the citizens. In the same way, political activist Karuna Pendke was more devastated by the death of her beloved pet than the loss of jewellery worth Rs 4.50 lakh.
The miscreants whosneaked into the house by damaging the latch appeared to have smothered the pet to silence its barking. Incidentally, family members staying a floor below had heard the barking but chose to ignore it. “Every day, I generally leave the pet at my daughter-in-law’s place on the floor below, but I did not do so today as I was supposed to return early. Unfortunately, I got held up and could not return on time,” said Karuna, who owns a spa in Gokulpeth.