Thieves catch cops napping

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 22

There is no stopping thieves. Just four days after a strike at eight shops located under the Jagraon overbridge, the thieves targeted three shops at Sarpanch Colony in the Jamalpur area last night and decamped with cash and goods.

The incident came to light in the morning when the watchmen of the area found the locks at the shops broken. He informed the shop owners about the incident.

The owner of Deep Telecom said thieves took away mobile recharge coupons worth Rs 15,000 from his shop while the owner of Shiv Shanker Bartan Store claimed he had suffered a loss of Rs 7,000. The owner of RS Collection, a garment shop, said thieves stole jackets and winter clothes worth Rs 35,000.

There has been a rise in the incidents of theft with the onset of the winters. Police sources said gangs of thieves got active during the winters and went underground during the rest of the year.

“In the cold weather, residents prefer to stay indoors and keep all doors shut. Thieves take advantage of such conditions and strike at shops,” said a police officer.

The police have failed to crack any of the theft incidents that took place in the recent past. The affected shopkeepers complained they did not receive any compensation for the loss.

“We spend years building our businesses. We cut down on so many things. We suppress our aspirations to see our business grow. Just when we think of making profits, thieves strike at our establishments and take away everything. It takes years to recover from the loss. If the government cannot ensure security, then why are they imposing heavy taxes on us?” asked Pardeep Kumar, whose shop was burgled a few years ago.

The shopkeepers said that police can trace the thieves but they were not showing the intent to do so.

“The whole police machinery would have swung into action if thieves had struck at the house or business establishment of a politician. But in our case, the police hand over an FIR to us and tell us to sit quietly,” said a businessman, whose shop was recently burgled.