Cross-border criminals flock to affluent neighbourhoods

Cross-border criminals flock to affluent neighbourhoods
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The affluent neighbourhoods of Koramangala, HSR Layout and BTM Layout have spawned a fast growing breed of criminals from across the State border at Hosur.

A richly-stocked hunting ground for thieves from Tamil Nadu, here the golden rule is loot-and-scoot. They cross the border, and into safety before the police can do anything.

Alarmed by this dangerous trend, the city police have embarked on a joint effort with the Bangalore Rural district police and Tamil Nadu police to tackle the criminals. A meeting was held last month and several measures are in the offing.

The Madiwala sub-division alone wants 56 accused persons from Tamil Nadu who have absconded after obtaining bail, while the Tamil Nadu police are searching for around 25 persons who are believed to be in Karnataka.

The proposal is to share information by having a wireless set of the Hosur police placed in Attibele and vice versa. The towns are hardly 10-15 km apart but are separated by a State border.

In reality, police on either side do not have a clue about what is happening in the other State. According to a senior officer, vehicle-lifters are the biggest problem.

A common modus operandi for them is to catch a bus from Tamil Nadu to Bommanahalli or Madiwala. Using duplicate keys or simply forcing open the handle-locks, they steal motorcycles and speed away.

Vehicles are fitted with TN number plates and sold cheap. Those who buy them however, are not often innocent, police say, as the vehicles sometimes land up with bootleggers and sandalwood thieves.

This year, 587 two-wheelers were lifted from the Madiwala vicinity, out of which only 125 could be recovered. Police suspect that at least 70 percent of the vehicles went across the border.

With exchange of wireless messages, the police can act swiftly and barricade the highway.

“We also propose to erect a permanent check-post on the Hosur border, manned by both states,” a police officer said. A few weeks ago, when a joint vigil was maintained, crimes had come down.

“Co-ordination is the need of the hour,” Krishnagiri SP Avi Prakash told this website’s newspaper. There are eight entry points into Karnataka from Hosur and with good roads and better mobility, it is easy for criminals to slip in and out, he said.

The menace of inter-State criminals is not new. Though constant rapport is necessary, it was not always there, except when an occasion arose.