It has not been two months since Bidhannagar East police station shifted to a floor above Karunamoyee market but two thefts have already taken place in the housing estate since then. And both the thefts took place less than 100m away from the thana. 

The old building of Bidhannagar East police station, in Sarat Abasan, is getting rebuilt and so on January 1, the office temporarily shifted to the second floor of Karunamoyee Municipal Market. On January 27, a thief scaled the wall of an F Block building in the dead of the night and made away with first floor resident Subhra Saha’s gold chain, as reported in The Telegraph Salt Lake (“Chain snatched from sleeping woman”, published on February 6). 

On February 11, snatchers tore another gold chain off resident Kankana Dey’s neck and this time in broad daylight. 
“I was walking home after visiting my friend in C Block at around 1pm,” said Dey, a student staying in F Block. “Suddenly two men on a bike screeched to a halt in front of me. I barely had time to react before the pillion-rider lunged at my neck, snatched my gold chain and sped away. A few days ago I had taken two rings off my finger and worn them as lockets on the chain. They too were gone.” As the men sped away they pushed Dey to the ground. “That’s when I noticed that both were wearing full mask helmets.”

The incident happened less than 50 metres away from the police station.

Lay of the land

Karunamoyee Housing Estate has around 1,720 flats and as per the 2011 census, there are 7,526 people living there. It was built in two phases. The first phase, comprising was blocks A, B C and D, were built in the centre of the complex during the 1970s. The second phase comprises blocks E to M and came up in the 80s. The number of buildings in every block varies but all buildings in a particular block have the same layout and floor plan. 
There is a large playground in the middle of the estate and next to it is the Karunamoyee Municipal Market Complex, where the thana has come up on the second floor.

Karunamoyee has nine gates of which Gate 1 (opposite Anandalok Hospital), Gate 2 (opposite the international bus terminus) and the gate near the G Block (opposite Tank 10) are the busiest.

The complex is also popular among techies and students of Sector V who either rent out apartments in a group or stay as paying guests.

Nuisance at night

Residents say the complex turns into a den of hoodlums, especially after dark. “Every evening, cars line up on the circuit road that runs along the inside perimeter of Karunamoyee, especially near Gate 2. There are glasses placed on the dashboard of these cars and passengers can be seen stealing furtive glances and mixing their drinks,” said a resident not wishing to be named.

Dey, whose chain got snatched on the road last week, says it has been progressively getting dangerous for women. “I have been staying here for more than 20 years and see men drinking inside parked cars, leering at women and I myself have fallen prey to eve-teasing several times,” she said. “I thought that once the police station moved in such crowd would be shooed off but now it seems our troubles have increased.”

The shops on the pavement just outside the complex, opposite the international bus terminus, sell plastic glasses, chips and peanuts and find ready customers in the youngsters who drink in the cars. “After 9pm, several people drink openly near these shops. It’s convenient for them as every accompaniment needed for a drinking session is available in these shops,” said Vivek Mukherjee, a resident of E Block.

On the receiving end are residents. Priyanka Mukherjee, a software professional staying as a paying guest in C Block, shared a harrowing experience. “I was late one night in returning from work  a few months ago and was walking home when a bike swerved dangerously close to me. It was dark and at first I thought the rider did it to avoid a pothole. But then the bike reappeared and this time the pillion-rider lunged at me while mouthing expletives. I ran towards a cluster of flats and since there was a divider in the way they could not follow me,” she says. Mukherjee now ensures that her office car drops her off right at her doorstep. 

Open to all

Despite two back-to-back thefts in the complex, security has not been beefed up either by the police or block committees who hire security guards.

The Telegraph Salt Lake visited Karunamoyee thrice over the last week and found negligible patrolling. On Friday morning, there were guards only at Gate 2 and at the gate opposite Jaidip Mukerjea Tennis Academy. In the afternoon, both gates were unmanned. On Sunday, there were guards only at Gate 2 at both times. On Monday, none of the nine gates of Karunamoyee had a single guard either by day or by night.

“The guards are barely seen at our gates. Even the few who are spotted are old and frail. One is visually impaired in one eye while another is so overweight that he can barely move,” complained Mita Ghosh, a retired schoolteacher of E Block.

The guards themselves admit that they don’t have enough manpower to cover all the gates.

“Earlier, we had 18 men but since  2014 we are down to seven, working in three shifts. That translates to around two men per shift. G block has its own guards but how can two guards man all the other gates of such a big complex?” said a security guard on condition of anonymity. 

The guardrooms are not equipped with any communication facilities either. “In case we need help, we cannot even inform the guardroom downstairs as they don’t have a telephone,” says Leena Lahiri of E Block. “And they rarely patrol the complex.”

Pijush Ranjan Shaha, the president of Karunamoyee Samannay Samity that supervises the security guards of the complex, lays the blame squarely on the police while admitting that not enough guards are hired to man the gates.
The East police station moved inside the complex recently. Due to this, a gate adjacent to G block has to be kept open round the clock for the movement of police vehicles. This gate is left unguarded. “Our revenue has drastically dropped and hence we cannot afford to man every gate. Before moving in, the cops had claimed that the security of this complex would increase. but sadly that has not happened. We will talk to senior officers and hope that they will take some action,” Saha said

Policing peeve

Residents are unhappy with the police. “What sort of policing are they doing if they cannot stop snatchings and thefts in their own backyard? I return home late from work and do not find a single police vehicle patrolling the area,” said Soham Chakraborty, a fashion designer from E Block.

Swarna Suruchi, a K Block resident, said barely anyone in khaki could be seen in the vicinity despite the thana being inside the complex. The Telegraph Salt Lake visited Karunamoyee Market, where the police station is situated on Saturday night and found no constable or vehicle in the vicinity.

“We had hoped that the police would become proactive after the snatching took place. But it seems that they are least bothered,” fumed Gopi Bhusan Dey of F Block. “Initially illegal encroachers followed the police to Karunamoyee. Now it seems the thieves have followed them too,” said another resident.

“We are investigating the cases. Residents should give us some time as investigation is on. Moreover, it would be good if they hire proper security guards,” said Debashis Dhar, additional deputy commissioner of Bidhannagar.

saltlake@abpmail.com