Bengaluru: While the summer months are known for vacations when people go on tours and visit relatives, it is also an opportunity that burglars don’t want to miss as it gives them enough time and freedom to ‘clean’ locked houses.
Every year, the city witnesses a significant rise in house burglary and vehicle theft cases during summer season, compared with other months as the thieves find it convenient to break into locked houses and lift vehicles parked there. Police records show that maximum house burglaries take place in the months of April and May as all the schools in these months remain shut and families go on vacations. As per last year’s data the highest number of burglaries happened in the month of May (152), followed by April (131).
According to police, as many as 121 cases of house burglaries were reported in February 2017, as against 106 in the previous year, 117 cases in March 2017 (121 in 2016), 100 cases in April 2017 (till April 23).
Similarly, the cases of vehicle thefts has also seen a significant rise during the summer season with February 2017 witnessing 496 cases, followed by March with 489 cases and April (till 23) with 363 cases.
Area wise, the police said that most number of burglaries were reported in South-East division, followed by East, North and South divisions in the city.
In more than 90 per cent of the house burglaries cases reported in the city, the occupants had gone on vacation, while in very few cases the residents had slept on the terrace or outside the house.
“People planning to go on vacations ought to instruct newspaper and milk vendors to deliver the product only after they return, as newspapers and milk lying unattended could invited the attention of thieves. They should also inform the police station. These simple steps could help the residents prevent thefts,” a police official told Deccan Chronicle.
How burglars identify targets?
- According to a senior police official, burglar gangs do a recce of their areas for targets
- They mainly look for vehicles that are lying unattended and parked in front of houses, where there are uncollected newspapers or utility bills lying in front of the doors
- They observe the targets for days together before striking them
- In some cases, even the security guards or domestic helps turn informers after they are promised a share of the loot
