According to records complied by the Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu, the month of Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August) alone saw 40 reported cases of burglary in the daytime.
Complaints lodged with the police show that most of the incidents take place at houses that are regularly left unguarded because the owners are middle class office-goers and have nuclear families with children, if any, at school or left at care centers.
"Most reports state that house owners come across open doors and broken shelves when they come back from their offices or after someone visited them by chance and informed them of the break-in," said an investigative officer.
Investigative officers say the scenario has shifted to petty crimes following a spree of heinous crimes like kidnappings and murder during the past half year. Burglars have turned to new methodology and there has been an amazing increase in their activity. The number of reported cases in the comparable month last year was only 16.
Those arrested by police for involvement in recent cases of burglary are mostly ´patake´ or old faces with a record of repeated crimes. "We have even arrested criminals who have a record of a dozen cases," said one officer. "Custody, trail and sentence under the Public Offense Act are like routine business rounds."
Burglars have also changed their modus operandi (MO) to suit the different time of day. Contrary to the general belief that they break in through windows, climb walls to slip down from rooftops, the burglars´ latest approach is to smash the door bolts at one go with special tools and then comfortably rummage the belongings inside.
According to police, experienced criminals read the surroundings and set their targets accordingly. Investigators feel day-time burglary is the latest development over the past six months as the burglars felt more at risk during nocturnal maneuvers. "In the daytime these days, police mostly focus on the streets due to unremitting blockades. So they make their way confidently into private residences," said an officer.
Though the number of complaints lodged with the police is huge, it might be much lesser than the actual number of incidents. "Maybe people do not bother going through the red tape for burglaries that did not cost them much," said the officer.
Metropolitan Police Crime Investigation Division recently seized a long list of stolen items from a godown in Tankeshwar, Kalimati. It wanted the victims to approach with claims for the recovered goods. "Only two have come with claims whereas the items amount to a value of nearly Rs 1 million," said Inspector Lal Bahadur Dhami at a public display at its office on Friday. Superintendent of Police (SP) Ram Lakhan Yadav of the Division urged media to inform potential owners that their stolen goods might have been recovered.
Yadav said day-time burglary is on a record high." People should keep in mind that if they are leaving their home attended, they cannot be sure it will remain safe until they return," he added. He insisted on leaving someone at home as caretaker.
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