Tamil Nadu   

How the world of crime lures youth Law and order

“I want to live a good life full of luxuries. I need money for that, but have no job. So, I took to the world of crime …” These lines are being increasingly heard during the confessions of young offenders to the police.

A glance at the recent crimes, including a few grave offences, reported in the city, reveal that youth (in the 20-25 age group) figure either directly or indirectly in the offences, according to the police.

During interrogations, the youths admitted to stealing and selling properties at prices far less than those of the new.

The money ‘earned thus’ was spent on liquor with their accomplices in popular restaurants or used for other illegal means.

An officer said that the accused were mostly school dropouts or unemployed. Though many factors are behind youth taking to criminal activities, the recent one is the mushrooming of the information technology and associated areas and the money made by the workforce in such fields makes others jealous. The frustration of the youth, with their living standards, increases when they observe the lifestyle of IT sector employees.

Hence, they resorted to crimes and often targeted lone women and senior citizens.

For many such criminals, mask helmets helped them conceal their identities to the victims and other passers-by while snatching gold chains from women walking alone on the roads. Though the vehicle’s registration numbers were noted in many such incidents, they were found fake, a police officer said.

The modus operandi of the youth, involved in chain-snatching, was to keenly observe a specific locality for a week or fortnight, target their victims and then commit the crime.

They also took note of buildings in which working couples lived as it was easy for them to break into these houses during daytime. Another aspect that worked to their advantage was the couples’ time of return from work — the burglary would come to light only then.

Following more complaints of house break-in during daytime, Commissioner of Police G. Nanchil Kumaran constituted special teams to monitor residential areas and ordered more patrolling.

A well-dressed youth, who was moving under suspicious circumstances in Choolaimedu recently, was questioned by a patrol team. The youth admitted to having stolen a few articles from a locked house, which were worth less than 10,000.

A professor at the Madras University said that social and psychological aspects were prime reasons for young minds getting polluted. Most of the youth require money to spend on branded shoes and clothing, popular mobile handsets, liquor or going to a discotheque.

A night round officer said that of the 50 two-wheeler riders stopped at any point, at least 10 admit to having consumed liquor.

A senior police officer handling crime cases said that habitual offenders are increasingly employing first-time offenders as the police would have little information about them and their fingerprints would not match with those available in the database.

An adolescent physician said that until such youth landed in the police net and the consequent media coverage, even their parents remain unaware of their activities.

At home, the youth, like anyone of their age, are obedient, but behave arrogantly outside and indulge in illegal activities. Parents have to pay more attention to, and spend time, with children and get to know their friends, he said.

Police officers emphasise the need for the citizens to take more care of themselves and their belongings.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Thiruvalluvar sketched in his own couplets
Celebrating unity in diversity
Engagements
Grinding a livelihood
Computers donated to six government schools
Inform authorities about sand mining: Collector
“Humanism should be the bedrock of society”
‘Drivers alone cannot be blamed for accidents’
Expounding various
Door-to-door campaign to open bank account
Early birds
Floral tributes
Kumari Ananthan restrained
Defying death with organ donation
Stalin goes nostalgic
Disaster management workshop for councillors and officials
Seven engineering colleges in 11 districts planned
Tata Teleservices ready to offer 3G technology
Central Bank of India keen on achieving better results
Guha sees challenges to India’s democracy
The face of terror
Epilepsy awareness expo
How the world of crime lures youth Law and order
Children’s short film festival
Police data on fingerprints in computer database Law & order
A major task for police Law and order
A grey area, indeed Law & order
Results published
Three-eggs scheme is visionary: Minister
Potholes, puddles mar Dargah Road in Pallavaram
Man falls to death in bid to board moving bus
Spreading light of team spirit among students
University publishes M. Phil. results
Government urged to drop move to restructure agriculture department
Civic staff plea for ownership of dwelling units to occupants
Training held
“Activate inter-State water councils”
State welfare schemes reviewed
Cycle rally to create awareness of drug abuse
Smalin Jenita shifted to Tiruchi hospital
CPI for a new ideology-based alliance: Pandian
In principle sanction obtained for Madurai-Bodi gauge conversion
Call for healthcare infrastructure
Inter-departmental teams to study causes of fatal road accidents
Country-made guns, bullets seized; nine held
Court stays garbage dumping in abandoned stone quarries
Exhibition exposes farmers to latest technology
Clarify policy on common curriculum
Captive breeding of endangered species mooted
One more pleads guilty in stamp paper case
137 applications received to set up small units
Desilting of canals proposed
Medicos give up indefinite fast
Court pulls up police for ‘lopsided’ investigation
AIADMK plans demos in support of medicos’ stir

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu