Telangana: Most criminals are from other states

Hyderabad: Crime in Telangana’s districts have increased and what is causing concern is that its perpetrators are finding easier routes to escape without leaving any trails. 

A large part of the crimes are being committed by criminals from states like Odisha, Bihar, MP, and West Bengal. After committing crimes they disappear into the east and central states. 

More than 80 percent of major robberies were committed by these gangs last year. The stolen property is easily sold in states like Chattisgarh, Odisha, and eastern India. “States like Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Chhattisgarh have armed gangs who hit targets and go back to their hometowns or flee to Nepal”, said a senior official. 

“Some even stay in five-star hotels in Nepal,” said a senior police official. When a robbery occurs, police always tracks the offenders’ phone and vehicle. These criminals are always careful about using phones and vehicles.

“They arrive by train and if they want to use a vehicle they either steal or hire it. SIM cards are purchased from local shops using fake ID cards, which makes it difficult for the police,” added the official.

Other state cops hostile
The struggle is real for Telangana cops when they step into the territory of criminals in Chattisgarh, Jharkhand or other parts of central-east India to hunt for them. Most of the criminal dens are beyond the reach of the law, with the local police having no grip on their jurisdiction. “This is very evident when we go there. And the lack of cooperation from the cops there hamper our operations”, said a detective cop, who had earlier chased a gang in Jharkhand. 

Although the city’s cyber crime officials have been successful in busting kidnapping gangs that end up there, the robbers always manage to slip away. Telangana police officials say that taking help from the local police there is more harmful than helpful. The entire operation could be sabotaged because of corrupt officials leaking information to the gangs. 

“We are reluctant to inform the local police about our arrival, because lower ranks cops could tip off the criminals”, said a senior cop. Telangana cops have busted gangs earlier without taking help from local police, but when the gangs are heavily armed, it becomes necessary to work in tandem with the local police.