Fire brigade records lowest number of calls on Laxmipujan in 50 years, but crimes like robbery, chain-snatching and housebreaking surge
Fire brigade records lowest number of calls on Laxmipujan in 50 years, but crimes like robbery, chain-snatching and housebreaking surge
Theu00a0good news is that the fire brigade recorded a historic low number of distress calls on Laxmipujan day, when the most firecrackers are burst during Diwali. The bad news is that the city saw a high number of chain-snatching, robbery and burglary incidents in spite of police warnings that people should be careful with their valuables.
Fire-free: Firemen could take it easy this Diwali as there were few
distress calls because of increased awareness about the dangers of
firecrackers. Representation pic
At least 11 incidents of chain-snatching, 12 housebreaking cases and two robberies were reported during Diwali celebrations that stretched from Wednesday to Sunday. Gold and other ornaments worth Rs 35 lakh were stolen in the city, said the police.
Historic fire low
Chief Fire Officer Prashant Ranpise said the drop in the number of calls during Diwali, especially on Laxmipujan, was historic.
"Barring incidents where fire was reported because of short circuits and other fires not caused by firecrackers, only two calls were received on Laxmipujan day," Ranpise said. "In the last 50 years, we have never achieved it, and this time the credit goes to the awareness campaigns that stressed giving firecrackers the miss."
Crime high
In the 12 cases of housebreaking reported, up to Rs 5 lakh in cash, gold and other ornaments worth Rs 30 lakh and electronic goods worth Rs 2 lakh were stolen in the city. Two of the major housebreaking cases were reported from Nigdi and Pimpri, in which gold ornaments worth Rs 7 lakh and Rs 9 lakh were stolen. In both cases the homeowners were out.
In the 11 cases of chain-snatching, ornaments worth Rs 4.8 lakh were lost, and the incidents happened only during the evening hours.
In a dacoity case, a 42-year-old man named Pradeep Deshpande was relieved of Rs 20,000 he had on his person by six to seven men in Bibwewadi on October 6 around 8 pm.
'We did our best'
Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anant Shinde said, "We took all possible precautionary measures like deploying police personnel in and around market areas. Patrolling during evenings and nights was stepped up. While the focus of our teams was more on markets and areas around it, most of the incidents reported took place in other areas."
Police Inspector Shantaram Tayde from the Sangvi police station said, "As the festive season was approaching, we had started an awareness drive using loudspeaker announcements and pamphlets to tell people about precautionary measures that people, especially women, should take."
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