Around 90 percent of the thefts in Srinagar have been committed by drug addicts, the Jammu Kashmir Police has said.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, Rakesh Balwal was quoted by Kashmir Monitor as saying, “90 percent of the burglars are linked to drug abuse.”
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“It is too much. Almost 90 percent of burglars and thieves are drug abusers. First, they start stealing money and other valuable items from home. When they are caught by their families, they start committing bigger thefts in localities,” he said.
The theft incidents have seen a valley-wide rise. Last month two youth entered a house in the Batamaloo area and tied up two sisters demanding cash while people were out for Friday prayers. The incident evoked widespread criticism.
The SSP Srinagar said, “They commit robberies in shops, residential houses, and other places. We have busted many such modules and found that they are chronic drug abusers. They commit thefts once they are short of money for drugs.”
The Jammu Kashmir Police has urged shoppers in the city to install CCTVs as a precautionary measure.
SSP Srinagar said civil society too has a job to perform against drug addiction in Kashmir.