Gangs of midnight: Spate of burglaries rattle residents, baffles cops
While the loot piles up, police responses in many cases have reportedly boiled down to one line: "Be cautious. A gang is on the prowl."
In one of the most alarming incidents, six masked intruders—clad only in undergarments, in the fashion of the notorious "kachha-baniyan" gang—tried to break into a house in Ganesh Nagar under Muhana police station limits on Tuesday midnight.
Armed with torches, the gang scaled the compound wall and peered into the house, accidentally waking an elderly woman sleeping in the hall.
She raised the alarm. In response, the gang shattered two windows and began pelting stones. But as the family shouted back, the masked men fled into the night.
It wasn't a one-off. On Tuesday in Mahapura under Bhankrota police station, three men armed with a long stick cut through the barbed wire fence of a gated apartment complex and casually wandered through the compound. A few houses away, another resident reported gold coins missing after a break-in by unidentified burglars.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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The break-ins stretch across the city's map—and escalate in boldness. In Kanota, on July 28, an FIR reported a house stripped clean: gold and silver jewellery, three mobile phones, a sewing machine, and Rs 28,000 in cash gone in one sweep. In Shivdaspura, thieves broke into a Hanuman temple, dragged the donation box outside, smashed it open with a crowbar, and made off with offerings and silver ornaments.
Even public infrastructure hasn't been spared.
In Jyoti Nagar, thieves reportedly stole decorative lighting from the Bharat Jodo Setu bridge. The FIR, filed on Wednesday, hints at how deep the rot runs.
And yet, in one reported case, when residents went to lodge a complaint, officials allegedly advised them to "be careful" and "lock your doors"—suggesting that even police acknowledge a pattern but have few answers.
While police claim surveillance and patrols are being intensified, residents say the problem continues.
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