Thefts at Sirsa grain market leave arhtiyas worried

The arrival of paddy in the Sirsa grain market is at its peak, with thousands of quintals of produce arriving daily. However, the lack of adequate security arrangements has led to thefts, leaving shopkeepers vulnerable. In a bold daylight robbery, thieves stole paddy bags placed outside shops, including the one belonging to the mandi's president, Manohar Mehta.

These thefts have sparked fear among commission agents (arhtiyas). They have expressed resentment towards the administration for its failure to secure the market. Mehta, along with Assistant Secretary Mahaveer Sharma, lodged a formal complaint with Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikrant Bhushan regarding the incident.

Mehta said that most shops in the market had paddy bags stacked outside their premises. This week, two motorcycle-borne youths were caught on a CCTV camera stealing bags from outside four shops in broad daylight. The thieves casually loaded the bags onto their motorcycle and fled.

Mehta’s shop on Stadium Road was also targeted. The CCTV footage shows the two youths entering the mandi around 3:15 pm, after which they surveyed the area to ensure that no one was watching and then one of them, swiftly loaded a paddy bag on to the bike before fleeing. Similar thefts were reported at other shops, including one belonging to the firm Santlal Ramnarayan. Two other shops have also registered complaints at the local police station.

In light of these thefts, Mehta has appealed to all commission agents to remain vigilant during the day and closely monitor their stock.

SP Bhushan has deployed 21 police personnel and two bikes have been provided for patrolling in the mandi during the daytime to enhance security. He said strict checks would be conducted on anyone seen transporting paddy bags on motorcycles.