NEW DELHI: The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has come as a boon to P. Silva, a petty criminal with a history of snatching, robbery and car theft. On April 21, the Tihar Jail authorities, concerned over the overcrowding in the jail premises, released him on parole. But instead of taking the opportunity to reform and leave the crime world, he went back straight into it. The 22 year old joined the thak-thak gang and was arrested on June 9 for the looting a pilot of a private airline while he was on his way to the IGIA Airport near the IIT-Delhi flyover.
Silva had earlier been arrested on March 2 by the Ambedkar Nagar police in connection with a snatching case, following which he was lodged in the Tihar Jail. Silva is not the only petty criminal to take advantage of getting parole because of the coronavirus and taking to crime again. According to the Delhi Police, the state government released about 2,500 prisoners, a mix of those involved in heinous crimes, repeated offenders and petty criminals.
Of them, about 200 have been rearrested for small crimes in the past few weeks. The South East district police alone have arrested 13 persons out on parole till June 16. In Rohini district, 10 persons released on bail and parole have been arrested again for petty thefts. Another petty criminal is Sheikh Naushad, 28. He was re-arrested by the Bhalaswa Dairy police in Outer North District under the Arms Act for robbery, snatching and looting people on the road at gun point. The police recovered one country made pistol and some ammunition from his house.
Naushad had been arrested in 2016 for robbery and dealing in stolen property. He was freed on parole in April because of the pandemic. After his release he got addicted to drugs and ganja and when his family refused to provide him money, he started robbery again.On Thursday, another criminal released in April was arrested for stealing 900 new mobile phones from Amazon delivery vehicles. His associates were new though, joining the world of crime owing to lack of money, food and unemployment.
“We are keeping a close surveillance of the criminals released on parole due to Covid-19. During the lockdown we are also witnessing well-educated people involved in delivery of illicit liquor and petty thefts such as snatching, pickpocketing, robbery and auto lifting to meet their daily needs as many of them are unemployed,” said South East district DCP R P Meena.