Sharp rise in crimes by juveniles in Gurugram

GURUGRAM: The murder of a college student by juveniles inside a DTC bus in Delhi's New Friends Colony came as a shock to many in the National Capital Region.

However, statistics show a sharp increase in crime by juveniles, especially in Delhi's neighbouring city Gurugram.

After being caught for a crime, most minors are released immediately or within few months after spending time in correctional homes. This makes it difficult to maintain detailed records about how much crime by juveniles has increased

Numbers show that on an average, over 10 crimes taking place in the Millennium City daily are committed by juvenile delinquents.

Earlier sticking only to petty crimes like robberies, snatching and molestation, many juveniles have of late been seen to commit rapes and murder, say police officials.

Over 150 cases are pending in the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) of Gurugram.

In October this year, 14 cases were filed in the JJB, the most high profile of them being the murder of seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur at Ryan International School.

Earlier this month, the Central Bureau of Investigation had arrested a 16-year-old boy of the same school for Pradyuman's murder, who had reportedly killed the boy to delay his examination.

"There is no denying the fact that today's youth are more aggressive, indecent and want to make it big through illegal means. Most of the juveniles first attempt petty crimes, like snatchings, robberies and molesting. Because they are able to get away with it, they move on to major crimes, like murder and rape," said a senior police official from Gurugram police.

"It is a matter of debate why juveniles take up to crime. In most cases, we have seen that youth do it for adventure. During counselling sessions, we mostly encourage youngsters to indulge this daring attitude through sports rather than crime," the official added.

A teacher, requesting anonymity, told Millennium Post, "After the unfortunate killing of Pradyuman, schools in the city have become extremely strict towards their staff. However, there is a requirement by school management to also tackle the challenge of aggressive behaviour by students which, if not kept in check, can take a dangerous turn."