July 22: A gang of thieves breaks into the ground-floor flat of EC 185 in Salt Lake and decamps with cash and jewellery.

July 17: Burglars enter SA 150 through a bathroom and escape with cash and jewellery worth Rs 1.4 lakh.

July 14: A burglary attempt at AB 85 is foiled by a brave 19-year-old who chases a gang of four armed robbers and gets shot in the abdomen.

Three burglaries in two weeks have set the alarm bells ringing over security loopholes in Salt Lake.

The satellite township that is home to more than 200,000 people, many of them from the upper-middle class, is fast becoming a target of burglars.

Metro spent time on the Salt Lake streets after dark to gauge the security situation.

The township has 10 entrances and exits, leading to EM Bypass, VIP Road and New Town. The important entrances, like Chingrihata, Hyatt Regency and Ultadanga, have kiosks that are manned by constables at night. But the other entrances lie unguarded and are invitations for burglars to freely move in and out of the township.

“I had never thought that the burglars could dig a passage through the wall of my house. It is next to Bidhannagar (East) police station but I am scared to leave the house empty now. I did not foresee a security crisis,” says Monoranjan Ghosh, the owner of SA 150 at Sarat Abasan in Salt Lake.

Raj Kanojia, the inspector-general of police (law and order), sounds anxious about the situation. “The series of burglaries is disturbing. We have held two meetings with our officers and we are modifying the crime control plan for the township. We will soon frame security guidelines,” he says.

The police have decided to consult senior and prominent residents of Salt Lake, including former chief minister Jyoti Basu, to prepare a blueprint to step up security. The decision was taken at the meetings.

At present, 100 policemen — about 30 each in the three police stations — maintain law and order in the township. “At least three police patrol vans do the rounds of their respective areas every day. Apart from this, senior police officers often go on rounds in Salt Lake,” says an officer.

But that the force needs more manpower is apparent from the number of unguarded entry and exit points. The open passages in and out of the township include the footbridges that connect it with VIP Road. There are three such footbridges.

Officers are also not deployed on Duttabad Road, from the Bypass, to monitor people and vehicles entering and leaving the township.

This is what is making the township residents insecure. “It is clear from the three incidents that the burglars have the wherewithal to enter our homes if they manage to get there. There has to be a check on people who are entering the township,” says Suresh Daga, a resident of SA block.

The majority of the Salt Lake streets are dark at night. But most of the police kiosks that have been set up to monitor security are locked throughout the night.

Ashoke Biswas, the additional superintendent of North 24-Parganas police, tries to explain the absence of officers from the kiosks: “Three officers are always deployed at the outposts. They might have gone out on patrol.”

A resident of CA block says: “There are private security guards in every block. But they are not above suspicion. One never knows when they might tip off burglars. The police must strengthen their security network.”