Poonch becoming hub of thieves 
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Rajouri, April 22
There have been 17 cases of theft during the last 21 days in Poonch and the police here has not been able to solve a majority of cases.
Interestingly, this is happening at a time when the state government is taking steps to modernise the police. According to sources, this sad state of affairs has been going on for quite some time.
Only yesterday morning, thieves broke open a locker inside the office-cum-residence of a local scribe and decamped with Rs 2,200 cash and a digital camera.
The scribe Ramesh Bali working with national Hindi newspaper later lodged an FIR and according to him, the police has assured him prompt action into the case.
However, sources in the police said track record of the Poonch police has shown that it has solved fewer numbers of theft cases in the past. There has been increase in number of such cases and since April 1 there have been 17 theft cases.
“Since the police has failed to arrest the thieves in most of the cases, their (thieves) morale has touched a new high and they are now striking at will,” said a source.
Sources further said during this month, there have been three theft attempts in Jhallas area on the outskirts of this border township. Thieves reportedly decamped away with a cash box of a temple and a gurdwara but they were unsuccessful while trying to loot a branch of Jammu rural bank in the same area.
In one other such theft, thieves had struck in a house in the always-buzzing ward No 10 and had reportedly taken away a gas cylinder.
Every attempt to contact the Poonch senior superintendent police didn't materialise, however, a senior police officer on the condition of anonymity told The Tribune over the phone that the police has registered all such cases.
He also acknowledged that there has been increase in a number of theft cases during last some months. “Even as theft cases have increased, I assure you that culprits behind such offences will be soon brought to book,” he said.