Alarmed over the spurt in crime in Patna, police have decided to keep a watch on history-sheeters who are out on bail.

The state capital has witnessed back-to-back loots, robberies and murders in the past one week. Sources said many criminals came out of jails on bail recently and the police are suspecting their hand in the sudden northern drift of the crime graph.

The sources added that station house officers (SHOs) of all the police stations in the state capital have been directed to keep a close watch on the offenders, who have recently come out of prison. The police have been asked to gather all information about the criminals and also “knock on their doors”, if necessary.

“There has been a sudden rise in crime in the state capital. At present, the police are keeping a close watch on many offenders who have come out of jails. Most of them are out on bail after serving a maximum term of three to six months. The police feel that the spurt in the crime graph could be a result of their walking out of jail and all the SHOs have been asked to keep a close watch on them and try to know whereabouts,” a police officer said.

He added: “Many a times, they (history-sheeters) don’t return to their residences. One Lallu Kahar, a Patna-based history-sheeter, who has been to prison many times in cases related to loots, is at present in Motihari. The police have been asked to go and knock at houses of such criminals, if necessary.”

Another officer said: “There are some criminals, who continue with their crime even after they are out of prison. For example, one Sonu was arrested in connection with the robbery in the house of a doctor, Radhika Raman, on January 21 in Buddha Colony. The man was sent to jail the same month but got bail. Around a month ago, the police got information that Sonu was seen near Rajendra Smarak under Patliputra police station. He was caught carrying firearms.”

Moreover, with the police claiming that their Quick Mobile Force has been doing a fantastic job, Patna senior superintendent of police Amrit Raj and superintendent of police Kim carried out an inspection at 5am on Monday to check the presence of the motorbike-riding policemen on the roads. The deputy superintendents of police were asked to do the same in different zones, sources said.

“Patrolling is being done. The police are out on the streets and are trying to contain the situation. Once these people (history-sheeters) come under control, things will surely go back to normal. The police have got detailed records of the criminals and are watching them closely,” an officer said.

The capital witnessed two back-to-back dacoities, one of them leading to a murder. Four incidents of chain snatching have also been reported.

The last crime incident was reported on Monday evening, when a group of criminals raided a grocery store, looted cash and belongings worth Rs 1 lakh and assaulted those present in the shop in Rajender Nagar under Kadamkuan police station.