Economic lull pushed many to tread a wrong path

Visakhapatnam: The economic lull witnessed in the form of closure of business units, pay cuts, job losses and the rising inflation curve due to the Covid-19 pandemic made many breadwinners take the wrong route to find a morsel of food.

Apparently, the pandemic not only has pushed the economy to the rock bottom but also adherence to moral values too as could be seen from the crime scenario in the city in the post-Covid-19 period.

Although the rise in the crime graph cannot be directly attributed to the pandemic, it is indication enough of the invisible link between livelihood sources and values nurtured.

For most offenders, it was a question of survival and many, irrespective of their social strata, economic background, educational qualification and family history, resorted to crime and eventually landed behind the bars. The trend is reflected through figures received from the police records.

In terms of drug bust cases, the city police recorded 222 cases in 2021 as against 76 cases registered in 2020. The number of accused saw a quantum jump of 539 persons in 2021 from just 203 in 2020. In the current year, 67 cases have been registered thus far, with the number of accused being 216. A number of accused in drug bust cases were in the 18-35 year age group, most of whom would have been studying or employed otherwise. Even educated persons indulged in drug peddling.

Of all, 284 unlettered persons were involved in either drug peddling or consuming in the last thirty months, but what is startling is the data pertaining to the educated lot. 291 of the accused had passed Class X, 158 persons passed Intermediate and 97 are having degree and above as their educational qualification. While 453 persons belonged to the poor economic background, 355 were from the middle class and 22 from financially well-to-do families. It shows social strata is no determinant factor for committing crime, as 696 of the accused were found to be slum dwellers, while 134 were from upscale localities of the city.

When it comes to white collar offences, the city police registered 808 cheating cases in 2019, 648 in 2020, 620 in 2021 and 466 till June 2021. However, there is a considerable dip in the number of kidnap and abduction cases, which fell from 176 in 2019 to 70 in 2020, 38 in 2021 and 26 for the first six months of 2022.

With intense counselling sessions, Commissioner of Police Ch. Srikanth says that the department aims at bringing in transformation among rowdy sheeters, offenders and drug peddlers and consumers. "From 2019 to June this year, 1,015 rowdy sheeters were given counselling. Also, through the 'Marpu' programme, 368 persons were counselled in 52 sessions conducted in the past one-and-a-half years," the CP shares with The Hans India.

Laying emphasis on close monitoring of the wards, the Commissioner of Police observes that in most drug bust cases, either absence of parental control or over control appears to be a serious concern. "In slum areas, children under the care of a single parent seem to be more vulnerable. Ganja consumption is high among them, while use of synthetic drugs is rampant among urban youths," says the CP.