GUWAHATI, Nov 21 - Law enforcement agencies continue to be in a deep slumber even as the commoners remain at the receiving end of back-to-back incidents of loot and snatching, making a mockery of the tall claims made by the Guwahati Police Commissionerate over its �foolproof� security set-up.
In fact, those who are beginning to live at the mercy of the professional snatching gangs, have actually failed to comprehend how exactly the security system of Guwahati operates.
For, despite what the Guwahati Police claims to be its best effort, there has been no let-up in the activities of the professional snatcher gangs who disappear into thin air after committing the crime.
Snatchers were once again on the prowl and managed to snatch away Rs 50,000 from a woman in Noonmati area, who had come out of a bank after withdrawing the money this noon. As was the case with most of the recent incidents of snatching, the snatchers came on a two-wheeler and decamped with the money.
What further substantiates the utter failure of the men in khaki is that as many as six incidents of snatching of cash have been reported in Guwahati since November 13 and that too in broad daylight.
The scenario in the rest of the State too is not very encouraging. Records show that over 21,000 cases of dacoity, robbery, burglary and theft were reported in the State in 2018.
This year (till May, 2019), the cumulative tally of dacoity, robbery, burglary and theft has already crossed the 10,000 mark.
While those at the helm of affairs attribute the string of incidents to the professional Irani group coming from outside the State, Guwahatians believe that recurring instances where a particular pattern is evident, only go to prove Guwahati Police�s poor reading of the gravity of the problem.
�Under the current scenario where the taxpayers� hard-earned money is not safe either in the bank or outside, one must say that the Guwahati Police clearly lacks a system where a proactive intelligence mechanism is given priority. This is virtually giving a leeway to the criminals who seem to be enjoying a free run,� a senior citizen of Guwahati's Tarun Nagar area told The Assam Tribune.
Anjali Barman (name changed), a resident of Lachit Nagar area, said, �If you analyse the trend, you will find that the gangs are targeting a particular kind of victims and are backed by specific tip-off about persons moving with sizeable amounts of cash. I have not come across any instance where they had targeted persons but had to flee empty-handed. One also needs to investigate whether some employees of the banks are working hand-in-glove with the groups.�
She further said, �That is why along with the footage captured from outside the bank, it is equally important to scan people�s movements inside the bank during banking hours. This might prove really handy.�
�We do not want to believe that there is anything called a �perfect crime� and we, the taxpayers, want the home department to make the police department proactive and accountable. At the moment, there does not seem to be accountability of any sort on the part of those who are entrusted with the task of ensuring safety and security of our lives and property,� Alak Pathak, another resident of the city said.
