21 September,2020 07:15 AM IST | | Pallavi Smart
Watchmen Ratan Singh (left) and Naval Singh
The efforts of the army of security guards at IC Colony paid off with the nabbing of two thieves. One was caught by the security guards and his accomplice by police later. The police are ascertaining if the two belong to the gang involved in previous robberies.
The night watch plan was conceptualised only a week ago by the residents with the help of a former corporator and police.
Also read: Mumbai: IC Colony Residents Form Watch Group After Serial Robberies
Three watchmen Ratan Singh, Naval Singh and Prem Singh from Philip Tower, Kanchan Housing society and New Golden Green housing society respectively nabbed the two thieves.
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The thieves had first stolen cash and mobiles of the three watchmen from their cabins when they were either on rounds or sitting near the staircase. After realising that their belongings are missing, the watchmen together caught one accused who was handed to the police.
Ratan told mid-day, "It was around 3.30 am on Friday when I thought I heard someone opening the main gate. From near the staircase where I usually sit at night, I went to check my cabin. The door to it and the main gate were open. Two men were on the stree, one had an iron rod in his hand. To confirm my suspicion, I checked inside the cabin and found my belongings missing."
By this time, the two men had vanished. As Ratan was looking for the duo, Naval and Prem emerged from their buildings as their belongings were stolen too.
The trip spotted the alleged thieves behind a parked car. As they walked towards them, the duo started to run away. "We managed to catch one of them," said Ratan, adding that they fear the gang may retaliate. "Everyone knows us here. Thankfully, our families are not with us. One of them had an iron rod and a fight was not possible in this case," Ratan said.
Understanding the concerns of the watchmen, the societies plan to instal alarm systems. Secretary of Kanchan Society, Felix Pareira, said, "The iron rod in the hand of one of them was visible on the CCTV footage. This is really dangerous. We need to be more cautious. Alarm systems will alert everyone at once."
Former corporator Abhishek Ghosalkar, who has been helping the residents, said, "Our ideas for safety are working. It is commendable how citizens came forward and a plan of action was created."
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