As Coronavirus Lockdown Continues, Bengaluru Witnesses Drop In Crime Rates

Remember when Kanan Gill mentioned how he was robbed while riding his two-wheeler in Bengaluru? Apparently, for those of us who do not stay in the Karnataka capital, vehicle theft among other things is a frequently committed crime in the city.

However, due to the lockdown set in place in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, criminals have been forced to stay out of action.

According TOI, Bengaluru police has provided data on different categories of crimes that took place in the city and the numbers have decreased ever since the lockdown was announced.

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One of the major drops was in the incidents related to chain-snatching, unfortunately a common occurrence in the city. In March 2019, 24 incidents of chain-snatching were reported and the number dropped down to just five by March 26 this year.

Due to the heavy police presence and the absence of citizens on the streets, criminals are prevented from committing any sort of crime and the police personnel at Jnanabharathi and HSR Layout police stations told TOI that even vehicle theft reports have gone down with the number of cases going from 432 in March 2019 to 249 in the 26 days of the ongoing month. Other police stations also reported that while 55 vehicle thefts were committed during March last year, only 20 such cases took place in the first 26 days of this month.

AFP (Electronic city flyover - Bengaluru)

A police personnel from Upparpet police station told Times of India, ¡°We registered three cases of motor vehicle theft in the last week. Perhaps, this is the first time that such few number of cases have been reported. Generally, we register at least five vehicle theft cases a week.

Another police officer said, "Vehicle-lifters are finding it difficult to spot potential buyers. Usually, stolen vehicles are sold immediately. But now, fearing Covid-19, buyers of such vehicles have remained indoors. This is the main reason for the decrease in vehicle thefts. Secondly, many vehicles are stolen from parking lots and these places are literally empty now."

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Back in March 2019, several different areas in Bengaluru reports about 60 cases of robbery, chain-snatching, mobile-snatching and mugging. However, barely 25 cases from the same categories were reported from the same stations this year during the same month.

Police officials also claimed that there has been a slight spike in attempt-to-murder cases. He pointed out that the lockdown could be the reason for old animosity to resurface among certain people.

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It will be great for our country's safety if these numbers continue to drop even after the lockdown is lifted.