Upward trend in dacoity

PUNE, June 3: Dacoity deaths - restricted to a small figure of one annually and that too in the fringe areas over the past two years - has a...

PUNE, June 3: Dacoity deaths 8211; restricted to a small figure of one annually and that too in the fringe areas over the past two years 8211; has already shot to an alarming five in the city this year to shift the trend up on the list of priorities for the police.

According to the records of the Pune police, no dacoity death was reported in the city in 1995 while one person was killed and that too in the fringe areas in the entire year of 1996. The police had succeeded in restricting the number of dacoity deaths to one in the year 1997 too.

However, the number of dacoity deaths has increased five times during the first five months of 1998 compared to what it was during the past two years as a total of five persons have been murdered by the dacoits in three separate incidents reported since March this year.

The number of dacoities has also been showing a steep and steady increase during the last three years. The number of dacoities, which was seven in 1995, rose to 10 in 1996. It further increased to 18 in the last year. A total of six dacoities have been reported during the short span of five months in this year.

On the other hand, the incidents in which dacoits were arrested before they could strike have shown a marked decrease. The police registered four cases of preparation of dacoity in which the culprits were arrested before they could strike in 1995. The number of such cases increased to 5 in 1996. In 1997 the number of similar incidents was four. However, in the first five months of this year, the police could arrest the dacoits before they could strike only once.

Taking a serious note of this change in the crime trend, the police have already adopted measures to curb dacoities. The city police, their counterparts from the rural areas of district, the State CID, Railway Police and the Highway Safety Police have already launched a joint drive to curb dacoities.

Immediately after two dacoities were reported from the city in March, the police began implementing a special scheme prepared by the Additional Director General of Police M N Singh to curb the spate of dacoities.

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However, despite the increased vigil in the infested areas, the spate has continued unabated as three dacoities were reported from Loni Kalbhor, Kurkumbh and Mundhawa during the last one week itself.