IT executives are soft targets

IT executives are soft targets

The Hindu

Police blame it on lifestyle of highly paid technology firm employees

# Most of the executives return home late in the night
# Drivers of vehicles hired by call centres have been robbed
# IT executives wearing the identity card attract the attention of thieves at night
# Even houses of software employees are burgled

BANGALORE: The Information Technology (IT) revolution has not only changed the economic face of Bangalore but also the city's crime scenario.

The odd working hours of the IT companies, business process outsourcing (BPO) firms and call centres has caused a spurt in the number of crimes, particularly robberies on roads and burglaries.

The lifestyle of software professionals and BPO executives has contributed to the rise in crimes and perhaps, also drug trafficking, according to the police.

In the past year, at least two dozens of software engineers, BPO and call centre executives and drivers of call centre vehicles have been waylaid and robbed in different parts of the city.

In sensational a case reported in April, Rakesh Kumar (23) of Ranchi, who was working as an engineer with Tayana Software Solutions on Airport Road, was murdered and robbed of a mobile phone in Koramangala police station limits.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) M.C. Narayana Gowda says software professionals returning home late in the evening are becoming the soft target of robbers. In most of the cases, the software engineers were robbed between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Known for getting high salaries, robbers are tempted to attack software executives, he says. Most of the software professionals have their identity cards hung around their neck. This helps the robbers identify their targets, says another official.

Mr. Narayana Gowda says some young employees of IT firms return home only at midnight after partying. There have been cases of such revellers being attacked and robbed, he says.

Call centre executives returning home in the early hours of the day and drivers of their vehicles have been robbed in a similar manner. Call centre vehicle drivers themselves have robbed people in the guise of offering them a ride, he says.

"To prevent this, the police are planning a census of call centres and BPOs. We are requesting these firms to ensure that the driver's details are displayed on the vehicles," he says.

According to sources in the police, most of the visitors to rave parties are knowledge industry employees.

The Narcotics Control Bureau officials raided a resort on the outskirts of the city some time ago and seized a huge quantity of drugs.