Patna: Street crimes, including chain, mobile and cash snatching, continue to pose a challenge in Patna with 115 such cases registered across the district over the past two months, according to the monthly crime report of Patna Police.The report shows that 64 cases were registered in May and 51 in June. Police detected 18 cases in May and 14 in June, taking the overall detection rate to 27%. While 32 of the 115 cases were solved, 83 remained pending investigation. Police also arrested 38 accused in May and 24 in June in connection with these incidents.The crackdown led to the recovery of stolen property, including 35 mobile phones, Rs 17 lakh in cash, two tempos, six motorcycles, gold and silver ornaments, Aadhaar cards and other valuables.Explaining the relatively low detection rate despite regular arrests, Patna SSP Kartikeya K Sharma said a case is counted as detected only when stolen property is recovered or there is sufficient evidence in that specific case. “Detection is counted only when we recover the stolen property or have sufficient evidence in that specific case. For instance, if a stolen chain has already been sold to a jeweller, we may know the accused committed the crime, but unless we recover the chain (which is melted by the jeweller), that case is not reflected as detected in our records,” Sharma said.The SSP said most snatching incidents occur during the early morning hours when roads are relatively deserted and morning walkers are out. He added that many accused were repeat offenders with criminal records and drug addicts who committed such crimes to fund their addiction. Many of them, he said, were not local residents and usually stayed in slum pockets on the city’s outskirts.Sharma identified Kadam Kuan, Rajendra Nagar, particularly near the Terminal, and Kankerbagh as the most vulnerable areas. Rajiv Nagar, once a hotspot, has witnessed fewer incidents after sustained police action, while Danapur is also under close surveillance.Patna Central Range IG Jitendra Rana has directed all City SPs to intensify the crackdown by increasing patrolling, deploying plainclothes personnel and strengthening surveillance. Habitual offenders are also required to attend the weekly “gunda parade” on Sunday to keep them under constant watch.Sharma said Patna Police would operationalise 50 new check posts and 30 police outposts across urban Patna this month based on crime mapping and hotspot analysis to strengthen preventive policing and curb street crime.
