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Stage-managed crimes
 A few weeks back, the Chengalpattu Police received a telephonic complaint that a robbery had occurred at Korattur in the night, that three robbers had robbed Rupees one lakh from a house at knife-point. The complaint had come from a neighbour of the house, where the robbery had taken place. Police had their own doubts about the case and they raised the question as to why the victim had not preferred the complaint.
Police reached the spot and the victim was a woman. She informed the police that at 0200 hrs, when she came out of the house to answer nature's call, a three-member gang had threatened her at knife-point, and entered the house. They took away cash Rupees one lakh, which she had kept to settle dues to her creditors. She also sustained light injuries in the neck.
She informed the police that the robbers wore masks to conceal their identity as also gloves so as not to leave fingerprints. Police had doubts in three areas – the woman did not prefer any complaint and also pressed her family members not to inform the matter to the police. Secondly, the 'house' was only a hut and how could a hut-dweller be in possession of such a huge sum. Thirdly, four family members were sleeping near the steel cupboard where the cash was kept and it would be difficult for anyone to remove the cash from the cupboard, without disturbing those sleeping next to it. The family members later said they had no knowledge of any such incident during the night and it was only the woman who claimed that a robbery had occurred.
The police then grilled the woman as to how she got Rupees one lakh. The woman said she received it from her relative at Thiruvannamalai as a loan. When the police contacted her relative at Thiruvannamalai, they revealed that they had not given the woman any such money. Further interrogation revealed that the entire episode was a drama enacted by the woman to manage and pacify her creditors.
There have been many such reports of incidents of stage-managed crimes in the last few years. The owner of Mallika Jewellery, Kodambakkam, had recently given a complaint to the police stating that nearly Rs 8 lakh worth jewellery was burgled from his shop but a detailed enquiry revealed that the complaint was only a drama to make insurance claims.
Such a false complaint was also received from Kerala Jewellery in Kodambakkam, in which the owner claimed that some robbers had robbed jewels, during the day time, at knife-point. When interrogated, it was revealed that the incident was stage-managed in order to manage the chit-payers, the general public.
There are several reasons for the enactment of such dramas-- family problems, attempts to deceive the creditors and to make false insurance claims. In one case, a woman who had illegal contact with a person, had given away all the jewels to her partner and in order to deceive her husband, she faked a house burglary.
Even though Sec 203 imposes the punishment of imprisonment with fine against those persons who prefer false complaints and deceive the police, the police have never taken resort to this section of the law to file a case against the bogus claimants.
Perhaps, those who indulged in such fictitious crimes to keep creditors at bay could be spared. However, those who enacted such dramas to defraud the
insurance authorities should be proceeded against without any let-up.
Harvey
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