Rising crime raises safety concerns in Chandigarh

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 28

Post-lockdown, the city has witnessed various crime incidents, including two ATM thefts and a daylight gunpoint robbery, that has raised questions over security in the city.

The daylight robbery of Rs3 lakh from a Western Union branch owner in Sector 27 has instilled fear among businessmen in the city.

The incident has raised several questions over the safety of residents. The city has also witnessed two incidents of ATM theft, including an unsuccessful bid. The police are still groping in the dark in both cases.

In June, an unidentified miscreant with his face covered had stolen Rs7.65 lakh from an ATM of the Union Bank of India. The suspect had opened the machine and stolen the money.

A few days later, an attempt was made to break open an SBI ATM at the Sector 44 market on the intervening night of June 24 and 25.

The miscreants had sprayed paint on a CCTV camera installed inside the ATM booth and had cut the alarm wire. However, they failed to break open the machine.

The police are yet to make a headway in the recent crime incidents reported after the lockdown restrictions were lifted. A spokesperson for the UT police, DSP Charanjit Singh Virk, said police teams were working on all cases. “Whether these incidents are a fallout of a financial crisis due to the lockdown can only be established once the suspects are arrested,” he said.