Then, we had a report where thieves made away with a stash of alcohol at a swish SoBo club. Only the alcohol was filched from the club's first-floor bar, there was no attempt to try and break the cash boxes inside
Bhikha Behram Well
Some time ago, this paper had featured a small piece on a theft attempt at a Parsi holy site in South Mumbai. The criminals failed to dislodge the huge donation box at the Bhikha Behram Well and their plans to do away with those ill-gotten gains were stymied.
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Then, we had a report where thieves made away with a stash of alcohol at a swish SoBo club. Only the alcohol was filched from the club's first-floor bar, there was no attempt to try and break the cash boxes inside.
We are in dire times and may have to brace for a surge in thefts as these times means people are on the edge, and a large section, practically penniless. Watch out as we may see chain snatching, wallet and purse snatching, petty thefts at workplaces, including stores and showrooms, as desperate times call for desperate and, at times, criminal measures.
Be wary on near-empty roads and even more careful at ATMs or when you exit from banks. Near-empty streets mean relatively easy pickings for criminals, who may plan and pick their targets with precision and planning.
Good CCTV surveillance around residential colonies, especially mammoth housing facilities is needed now more than ever. This is because security at some of these buildings is thinner than before, with some watchmen unable to come to work because of the lockdown.
A pandemic changes the pattern and nature of the crime. Remember too that criminals will be masked, arousing no suspicion as this is the new normal these days, and, therefore recognition is doubly difficult. As criminal behaviour adapts, our safety and security goalposts must shift too. We must make alertness, neighbourhood watches, cautious behaviour the norm. We must become watchful, not paranoid though, in our responses to new times and new ways of crime.
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