The lockdown has left several Calcuttans in financial crisis, including petty criminals.
According to Lalbazar sources, the average number of daily offences came down from 450 to around 100 during the lockdown period till May.
“The crime rate under different heads came down significantly in April and May, when the majority of people were staying indoors. Quite possible the criminals, too, were at home fearing infection,” said an officer at Lalbazar.
Another possible reason for the dip could be visibility of policemen on the roads – all focusing on implementation of the lockdown. Calcutta police prosecuted hundreds of men and women on the roads for alleged violation of the lockdown without any valid reason.
In one such case, a man found loitering on a road in New Alipore was found to be fleeing after stealing a mobile phone in Behala.
He was among the 3,000-odd jail inmates who had been released to avoid crowding in correctional homes, a step taken to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
An officer said as roads were empty and so many cops were around, it was difficult to commit an offence and flee undetected.
No dacoity cases were recorded in Calcutta in April and May. On an average, at least one or two cases are usually reported every month, a source said.
Officers could not recall the last time the central lock-up at Lalbazar was empty, as it was for a few days in April.
The average number of cases of two-wheelers being stolen came down from 16 between January and March to five a month in April and May.
“It was practically impossible for anyone to steal a motorcycle during that period because almost no one was leaving their vehicles parked on roads,” said an officer.
An officer said as the majority of the citizens were forced to stay indoors during the lockdown, the number of thefts committed by domestic help had gone down, according to the crime records at Lalbazar. Between January and March, on an average, 11 cases of “servant theft” were reported every month.
The figures came down to two a month in April and May. “Many families anyway granted leave to their help. And those who were working must have found the houses too crowded to make an attempt,” the officer said.