Steep drop in crime numbers

With people locked in and police keeping a vigil on the streets, lawbreakers take a holiday

Crime in Bengaluru has dropped dramatically since the lockdown began on March 24.

Murder, cheating and mugging cases have come down by 70 to 95 per cent in April as compared to the same period last year.

Numbers have fallen because people are at home, and the police are watching the streets.

Director general of police Praveen Sood says the overall fall in crimes is 90 per cent. Which means where 10 crimes were being committed, only one was committed this April. “This is the first time that we have seen such a low crime rate and I don’t think we will ever see such small numbers unless we are in a similar situation again,” Sood told Metrolife.

No transactions

Murders are triggered mainly by property disputes, drunken brawls, extramarital affairs. “These things aren’t happening because people are indoors. Chain-snatching cases went down because women aren’t seen outside. We also don’t see cheating cases because there are hardly any transactions going on,” he says.

With borders closed, inter-state gangs have also become inactive.
“Earlier, gangs would come into the city from other states, snatch 20 chains in one day and scoot,” he says.

Wine shop break-ins, however, have gone up in number. “In the 40-days lockdown period, Central Crime Branch (CCB) has carried out 51 raids and a large number falls under the category of illegal sale of liquor above the market price. The total number of break-ins are five in April alone,” says a senior officer with the CCB.

Kuldeep Kumar R Jain, DCP (Crime), confirms the steep fall in crimes in April. “But we have seen an increase in complaints about consumption of drugs,” he says.

Jain says the police are more focused on protecting people than in crime detection. “Even habitual offenders fear they could be infected and choose to lie low,” he says. While physical crimes declined, cyber frauds have gone up in number.

A senior officer with the Bengaluru cyber police station says, “We received about 425 complaints in April. There could be more but people haven’t been able to physically come and register complaints.”

Cheats calling

Frauds use bank and hospital-related queries to dupe people.

Dr T P Vipin, consultant criminologist, studying cyber crime since the lockdown, says cyber attacks are now being carried out with the help of phishing and malware.

Cyber criminals send links by SMS, WhatsApp, email, and social networking messaging services. “It happens when you enter a phishing website which resembles a genuine website. They obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and debit and credit card details, and access to bank accounts, IPR and other sensitive information,” he says.

A recent case is the hacking of the Zoom online meeting application, with user data being compromised.

Frauds are using vital information thus harvested for blackmail and ransom.

“The number of cyber attacks is now more than five times the number recorded in the same period last year with respect to WHO compared with previous year,” he estimates.

Crime likely to escalate post-lockdown

City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao says people must be alert about giving out confidential information online. “People are being watched and sometimes followed in the virtual world. You should be cautious about leaving your footprints in the virtual space right now,” Rao says.

Police anticipate a spike in crime once the lockdown is lifted.“People will have to stop flaunting their wealth and be cautious about spending. With many in the informal sector having lost their jobs, we are likely to see new entrants to crime. We could also see some new forms of crime as well,” he told Metrolife. He also warns people living in apartments to be alert to who is entering the building. “People must concentrate on safeguarding their property and homes now,” he warns.

Masks serve as perfect camouflage

Channamma Kambara, assistant professor at the Centre for Research in Urban Affairs, Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), says the most vulnerable may be compelled to commit crimes. With masks becoming mandatory, it could be easier than before to pull off a mugging, she suspects. “The mask serves as a perfect disguise at this time,” she says. Fear of the virus may not prevent crime. “When liquor shops opened, we saw people violating social distancing and compromising safety for instant gratification. So why would they think twice about committing a crime when money is the priority?” she says.

OTP fraud

Cyber criminals are approaching their prey over the phone, offering loans and credit card EMI moratorium. They are sending links and asking for passwords to drain money.