Don’t let burglars spoil your festivities: Police

Cops issue caution as many families plan to leave the city for their native places to celebrate Sankranti.

Hyderabad: With many families from the city planning to leave for their native places for the Sankranti festivities, the police in the tri-commissionerates have cautioned people against becoming victims of burglaries.

Burglars are always on the lookout for good opportunities. During Sankranti, innumerable houses are locked and burglars find it easy to target many houses without much effort in the shortest period, said an Inspector working with the Central Crime Station.

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The temporary exodus of people from the city puts extra pressure on the police and the crime prevention teams at local police stations and special detection and investigation wings of the police are on extra alert. “Before the festival season, all the teams check for the old-time offenders and their present activities. Also, we keep a close watch on the jail-released criminals,” said Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force (South) Inspector S Raghavendra.

The local police prepare a beat plan and do intensive patrolling covering the pockets which have migrant population. “Our Blue Colt teams and the patrol teams take up day and night patrol, question those moving around suspiciously, and if necessary detain them and do a background check to verify their antecedents,” said Jawaharnagar Inspector S Chandrasekhar.

The police suggest safety measures to minimise the loss in case of burglary or theft. The primary advice is to keep valuables in bank lockers. Other suggestions include not parking vehicles on roads, keeping a light switched on in the house and using automatic door locks, not updating your movement on social media platforms, and suspending the delivery of milk and newspaper for the period when out of the station. Installing surveillance cameras in the house is highly recommended. The police ask people to inform the local police before going to their native places so that the local patrol teams can keep a watch.