It is a fact that many instances of crime in the city are swept under the carpet.
The Trimulgherry police recently busted a gang of youngsters who admitted to have stolen nearly 230 two-wheelers from the areas of Kushaiguda, Malkajgiri, Neredmet, Nacharam and Trimulgherry in the past two years. However, investigators found to their surprise that not more than 60 First Information Reports (FIRs) were issued.
What is more intriguing is that the gang stole nearly 150 two-wheelers from Kushaiguda police station limits alone.
Trimulgherry police alerted their Kushaiguda counterparts of the discrepancy, only to learn that many cases had not been registered.
Bizarre
This is not the first such instance of burking of crime in Cyberabad.
In December 2012, a spree of bizarre incidents occurred at the Balanagar police station. The then Inspector was reportedly not in favour of registering cases of theft despite vehicle owners approaching the police.
Instead, he would enter details of stolen vehicles in a register. Only if the vehicle was traced would he issue an FIR — so as to claim a high rate of stolen property recovery. The higher-ups got a wind of the ‘private’ register and ordered an inquiry.
The worried Inspector, it is learnt, grabbed the register from the ACP office, where it was kept, and burnt it.
Negative remarks from top officers over rising crime are driving police to find means to suppress it.
When the burking of crime in Kushaiguda came to light, some officials put forth the argument that not many preferred to knock the doors of the police as the stolen vehicles were too old.
However, their claims don’t hold water as people complain that police are reluctant to register cases of vehicle theft. It requires lots of persuasion and calls from the powers-that-be for registration of cases, they say.
Some police officials have now made it clear to their subordinates that charge memos would be issued if a case is not booked when a complaint with prima facie evidence is lodged.
