Hyderabad: Thieves lurk around the KBR Park in the morning, looking to steal valuables from the parked cars by breaking the side window and windshield.
Banjara Hills police has registered four such cases in the past few months, after mobile phones, laptops and purses were stolen from parked cars. Following an investigation, the cops arrested a juvenile offender in February, who had stolen a laptop from an Audi after breaking its window.
Morning and evening walkers at the park even complain of miscreants hanging out near the parked vehicles armed with rocks to strike when the owners are away.
Ram Prakash Bansal, a resident of Banjara Hills and a frequent walker at the park, had a similar experience on Thursday. His phone was stolen by a thief. He had earlier noticed a suspicious group of people with rocks hanging around the parking area.
“On Thursday, I had left my phone near the glove compartment in my vehicle and went inside the park. When I returned, I found the window was shattered and the phone was missing. I lodged a complaint with the police,” Mr Bansal said.
On Saturday, Mr Bansal saw one person sitting on the footpath near a car with a boulder in his hand. “When I went to confront him, he fled, taking a wallet and a phone from inside the car. I also saw two more guys across the road watching me,” he said.
Banjara Hills detective inspector K. Kiran said that the police had detected three such cases so far. “Most of these thieves are rag-pickers. When mobile phones and purses are visible from outside, they break the window and steal them,” he said.
Banjara Hills police officers said that they have a crime party patrolling near the KBR Park in the peak hours. “We have our teams around the park from 6 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 7pm in order to thwart any such attempt.
The walkers can also alert us if they are being targeted,” said Mr Kiran. Officials said that the walkers should be alert and should not leave valuables in their cars.
