15 Sep 2018 | 05:21am IST
Going home for Chaturthi? Inform police or get burgled
Sharp rise in burglary cases during vacation time, particularly Chaturthi, when families lock up houses and visit their native places
PANJIM: Ganesh Chaturthi is when most Goans lock up their houses to return to their native places to celebrate the elephant-headed god. However, this is also the time when burglaries and house-breakings are reported the most.
Inspector General of Police, Jaspal Singh confirming that vacations is the time thieves strike told Herald that the police have taken certain steps to curb this. “The SHOs have been instructed to conduct extensive night patrolling. The SPs of the districts have also been instructed to monitor the night patrolling,” he said.
The IGP also said that at the same time, citizens/societies/colonies have been asked to inform their police stations concerned about their absence. “This will help the police so that our teams can keep a vigil,” he added.
Statistics with Herald show there has been a uniform rise in the number of burglaries reported in the State for last three and a half years. Data reveals that in 2015 the cases reported were 185, while in 2016 the cases reported were 168, and in 2017 it was 184. In 2018 (up to June 30) there have been 63 cases.
Sources reveal that most of the thieves or burglars are migrants, who journey down during the holidays and Ganesh festival to try their luck when houses are locked.
For Ganesh, which also has schools closed for 7 to 10 days, families visit their native places for celebrations depending on number of days they keep the idol at home, ranging from 1 and half day, to five, seven, nine and eleven.
“Last year when we were in Canacona for the Ganesh festivities, our house was broken into but luckily the damage wasn’t much as we had not left any valuables,” Sanjay Desai from Porvorim said.
Another local from Pernem, Sandeep Gaonkar, a government employee, said, “Two years ago even the government quarters were broken into and as such we are now being extra cautions before leaving.”
Speaking to Herald, an officer on condition of anonymity said, “Being a tourist destination, Goa attracts thousands of visitors all year-round. Sadly, the quality of these has gone down tremendously, with some even committing crimes from petty ones to major ones. Along with tourists, Goa has a massive migrant population as well. Coastal areas, in particular, have seen a rise in crime thanks to a lot of these migrants making the region their home.”
