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Colaba traders see red over burglaries
Prathmesh Kher & Devan Kanal, TNN 27 July 2009, 12:41am IST

MUMBAI: Over the last year, there has been spate of shop break-ins at Colaba Causeway, the latest target being Amber, a shop adjacent to the local police station.

According to police reports, there have been 15 such incidents since mid-February last year, but shop owners and businessmen in the area insist that the actual figure is higher. They said there have been at least 30 such incidents. What is especially galling is that the shops in question are located merely a stone's throw away from the Colaba police station but that till date, no arrests have been made and no leads found.

A shopkeeper, on condition of anonymity, said that in one lane alone, there had been multiple break-ins in five stores, over a span of three months. "The police claim that the lane behind the Taj is secure. But our shops are not even hundred metres from the Taj and they are not even protected from burglars, let alone terrorists,'' said a shopkeeper.

Waghela tailors, Sheetal Medical Stores, Golden Boutique, Amarchand and many others have had their wares stolen and their registers emptied. The shopkeepers had got together and hired private security to guard the lane, but the efforts fell through due to financial constraints. "All the shopkeepers wanted to go to the media, but were afraid that this might rub the cops the wrong way," another shopkeeper said.

Mohan Mirchandani, president of Radio club and a patent lawyer, has an office in the ill-fated lane. "On the May 31, some men broke into my office and stole five computers and flatscreen monitors. How is it that these criminals can operate with such impunity in such close quarters of the police,'' asked Mirchandani.

"The shopkeepers who say that there have been around 30 break-ins are unaware of the real situation. There are exactly 15 registered cases. We suspect that this is the handiwork of criminal elements residing in the Colaba slums," said senior inspector Vishwas Rao of Colaba police station.

"As for shopkeepers commenting that the police are not doing their job properly, we assure them that we are doing everything we can. The public must also understand that now the police are not only faced with regular law and order problems, but also with anti-terrorism,'' he added.

The number of break-ins surge during the monsoons and the residents should take care during this period, said Rao.