Car tyres, gas cylinders and even air conditioners have been stolen as lack of a boundary wall and inadequate security make it easier for miscreants to target residents.
Incidents of theft and snatching have become a regular affair for residents of Pocket C, Sector 39, Gurgaon. Be it a car tyre, gas cylinder or an air conditioner, nothing is safe it seems.
As if crime was not already a problem for residents, the lack of a boundary wall has aggravated the situation. And despite streetlights, thieves manage to escape with the stolen items at night. Moreover, absence of security guards due to less number of residents in the area also contributes to the state of affairs.
With just 65 families, the area, spread across 25 acres, is an easy target for miscreants. There are 192 plots in Pocket C but people have not yet built their houses.
Those houses that are there have been converted into paying guest accommodations, which are mostly occupied by foreign patients and are a big draw for miscreants.
Cases of snatching are rampant in the area, with one such incident reported on May 17. Ritika Jain, a resident, was returning after dropping her child to the school bus stop when she fell prey chain-snatchers.
Dayachand Thakran, RWA president, says, “The miscreants target our sector as most of the guests staying here are foreigners. These foreigners are unaware of snatching cases and petty thefts taking place.”
From gas cylinders to inverter batteries and generator batteries, they have all been stolen at one point or the other due to inadequate security in the area.
Amarjeet Thankran another resident, says, “Recently, five gas cylinders went missing and I was shocked as I had kept them on the balcony. The thieves used a ladder to steal them using a vacant piece of land adjacent to my house.”
Residents say most thefts of car tyres happen in parking zones as there is no boundary wall in the sector.
"Incidents of theft are rampant despite a police station nearby. A few days ago, some thieves pulled out the wheels of a car parked on a road after midnight," says a resident, on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the police says that it doesn’t have the manpower to deal with situation as residents helplessly witness incidents of theft thrice a week. Police personnel believe that the crime can be reduced in the sector once a boundary wall is constructed.
Inspector Vijay Kumar, station head officer (SHO), Sadar police station, told City Spidey, “We have deployed a dedicated PCR van in the area and crime has reduced after that. But if they get a boundary wall, things will certainly improve.”
However, the problems do not end here. The area is grappling with issues such as garbage strewn on either side of roads, and growth of wild grass and water hyacinth that have become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. It is noteworthy that the area’s maintenance is under the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram.
“The situation here is far-removed from that of maintained sectors. For the officials concerned, we don’t seem to exist. They think it’s nothing serious if residents keep losing their belongings. Moreover, due to the broken roads, blocked sewers and heaps of garbage, we avoid inviting guests,” says Sonu Thakran, resident of the area.
