By Samiya Anwar
“Crime cases hit a new high with diverse attention by unidentified youths”
Well heard, hoax and hoaxers, crime and criminals, furthermore the “Attention Diversion” and “Attention Diverters”. Not new to our ears. It is something becoming common, regular and ordinary news in newspapers, television channels and everywhere. The society is in great turmoil with old tactics doing wonders. The crime is same, distracting attention, snatching money or gold and fleeing away.
Diverted attention mainly includes a range of activities where the drivers’ attention is directed away from the primary task of driving towards events, objects or people, inside- or outside-of-the-vehicle. It is a new threat in old style. The imposters and hoaxers are at mount to fool and deceive people in more sophisticated manner. The theft of attention diversion is rising high. It is said to be a transformed modus operandi of new offenders who adopt the method of old crooked swindlers in more polished style of robbing with changing times. In big cities like Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad the attention diversion has become a very common thing nowadays.
On Monday, the gangs from Nellore, Tamil Nadu and Beedar in Karnataka have reached Hyderabad, the officials said. The members of the gang divert the attention of a probable victim by narrating a crime incident in nearby area and ask people to deposit their valuables with them. Once that is done, they replace the handbags with stones and hand it back to the victims. There are also women in those gangs. It is reported that women stop others wearing jewelry under the pretext of alerting them about a murder in the vicinity and warning them against wearing so much jewelry. When the women remove the jewelry the tricksters pretend to help them with packing it up, only to replace it with stones.
Recently, in Cyberabad, Rs 2 lakh was stolen from a person, when a man punctured the tyre of victim’s two-wheeler. He had put the money in the boot of the two-wheeler. When he went to a shop, another gang member opened the boot and took the money. “It is a gamble for them. Sometimes they hit the jackpot. It is more a matter of chance for them,” said Mr G. Surya Prakasa Rao, the DCP (crime), Cyberabad.
The most vulnerable areas where such gangs are in operation are Jeedimetla, Saroornagar, Kukatpally and Miyapur in Cyberabad jurisdiction and SR Nagar in Hyderabad jurisdiction. Basheerbagh and the area near to Public Gardens are other spots where such gangs are active. So it is ordered to the common people to be cautioned with cash and gold.
And in Bangalore, there is a high alert on attention diverters by city police. Commissioner had earlier this month stated that anybody withdrawing huge amounts from the banks can seek help from the police by taking an armed police personnel along. But the citizens ignore to do so, and a number of them are falling prey to such tricksters. Shankar Bidari said that a book with the details of such tricksters with their details and modus operandi will be published soon and distributed among the police stations and crowded places, which would help in tracing the offenders faster.
The case of Dr. Meghna was a prank, when she was fooled by two youth on way to her clinic, that there is a leakage of petrol and on checking the petrol she noticed her handbag missing which contains her medical apparatus, cash Rs 2,000, credit cards and debit cards.
In Chennai, the theft was on similar grounds last year. A 73-year-old man, Tulasi Raman, a marriage broker, was on his morning walk when the incident occurred. He was relieved of his two-sovereign gold chain by a man on motorbike at Madipakkam. There are many chain snatchers use such techniques and make off with valuable property. It is important to be careful with strangers and to be aware at all points in time, police says. It was just another diversion case of chain snatching which is prevalent with many women traveling in buses, and walking in remote places unaccompanied.
On the same standard, thugs spit chewed biscuit, sprinkle ink in somebody’s shirt and in a split second snatch the bag and valuables right in front of our eyes. Dropping notes on floor is a common technique of deceit. Breaking the window in driver’s absence or leakage of petrol of the victim are general tactics.
But it is shameful that hoaxers are cheating in the name of God. They visit homes and ask women to perform a pooja in the house, to increase wealth and reduce fights at home. Later, put that in a bowl and escape leaving an empty one behind alerting the residents not to open the bowl for a couple of days. Moreover these people also visit homes in the pretext of polishing the jewelry and making away with the valuables, by dipping it in an acid-like solution. So, the “women in doors” are also victims of attention diversion.
The victims are mostly educated, good professionals and from a sound background. They themselves give a chance to offenders in times of hurry or ignorance. If somebody is withdrawing cash from bank or buying jewelry, they have to straight away go home. If they wander with valuables they invite the diverters who are awaiting a chance on a blink of an eye.
Though many attention diverters and their gangs arrested so far has sent in judicial remand, the modus operandi continues. It is said that these are the same people who changes the bait and cheat people in different areas. They speak fluent English which makes the victim fall for their words. It is becoming hazardous for the masses.
Particularly in these difficult economic times, no good salaries, job deficiencies in the market, rising gold rates, getting fooled by any gang of attention diversion is something mindless or careless act upon our hard earned money. We need to be vigilant and wary of our belongings, and cash otherwise such thefts will be on rise.
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