Four juveniles commits crime every day in Delhi

Every day in Delhi, four juveniles are in conflict with law leaving investigators helpless and many such juveniles are involved in various crimes consecutively.

In 2013 till September, 1038 juveniles were found to be in conflict with law and there were apprehended.  “Many of them get out of Observation Home and again commit crime. They are repeat offenders but we are helpless as we can’t do anything,” said law enforcer, on condition of anonymity.  

The statistics are alarming: Till September, in heinous crimes 884, juveniles were involved. While in 2012, in 1171 heinous incident, including December 16 brutal gang rape case, juveniles were involved, in 2011, juveniles were involved in as much 757 heinous incidents.    

As per records, 1572 juveniles were apprehended in 2012 and were sent to Observation Homes. In 2011, 942 juveniles were sent to Observation Homes.

This year, 106 juveniles were apprehended in rape cases, 89 in robbery cases, 55 in murder cases, 47 for attempts to murder, 262 for burglaries and 111 for auto thefts.

With increase in numbers juveniles’ involvement in crime, the law enforcer agencies are feeling helpless as the existing law has tied their hands.

Around one and half month ago,  thirty-three juveniles detained at an observation home in north-west Delhi’s Kingsway Camp area, escaped from there after indulging in stone pelting, causing the explosion of two gas cylinders and starting a fire that gutted several offices of the Home, including that of the superintendent.

The staff of the observation home said that out of the 33 juveniles who escaped, 15 have been caught by the police. The rest 18 are at large. There was a previous breakout by about seven inmates from the observation home in 2010, according to the officials working there.

Five of these were again nabbed in brutal murder-cum-robbery at New Ashok Nagar area where they killed a middle aged woman while committing robbery.

Seeing the more and more juveniles’ involvement in crimes, the police is looking at Centre Government’s stand on this issue.

The parents of 23-year-old physiotherapist student -- Badrinath Singh and his wife Asha Devi – too recently approached apex court with a plea that criminal courts should be allowed to take a decision if to try juveniles like adults after gauging their “maturity and understanding”. “We are not satisfied over the sixth accused – juvenile – being sentenced for three years,” said Badrinath Singh adding that its not the government to take the decision on it.

ENDS

They hurt to escape from pain

A 14-year-old boy killed three women last month in Jahangirpuri over a loan of Rs 50. The incident came as a rude shock to police, lawmakers and residents as well.

The first victim was a 30-year-old woman who had loaned the boy Rs 50 and had informed about his mother about it. The boy stabbed her to death.

 When another woman and her daughter tried to intervene, he killed them too. He was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and sent to an observation home.

In February, a teenager was held in east Delhi’s Jyoti Nagar for kidnapping and raping a 13-year-old class 8  student of a government school. He wanted to take revenge after she turned down his attempts to start a relationship.

Such cases create a picture of children with an immense capacity to commit brutality. But visit an observation home, and you see their ‘innocent’ face as well.

“I never wanted to kill anyone. I just could not take the humiliation,” the boy who allegedly killed the three women told Deccan Herald during a brief interaction at the observation home.

Seeing him play cricket with other juveniles, it is hard to imagine that he had killed three persons.

However, incidents of minors committing serious crimes in the Capital are frequent, as the official figures show. The number of juveniles involved in heinous crimes like murder, attempt to murder, rape, kidnapping and robbery in Delhi has increased slightly in the last four years.

More juveniles commit crime

According to the National Crime Bureau records in 2010, 160 juveniles were involved in heinous crimes. In 2009, the figure was 157; in 2008, it was 122 children, and only 90 in 2007.

In 2010, the highest number of crimes by juveniles was theft — 81 cases. It was followed by 54 robbery cases, 44 causing hurt, 37 rape and 35 murder. A slight increase is noticed also in the number of children actually apprehended under different sections of the Indian Penal Code. While 627 kids were apprehended in 2010, 584 were held in 2009. In 2008, 520 kids were apprehended.

In 2010, the largest number of juveniles – 139 – were apprehended for theft followed by 93 for robbery, 55 murder and 40 rape. In that year, 20 boys in the age group of 7 to 12 years were apprehended, while as many as 275 were between the ages of 12 and 16 years. The maximum number of juveniles apprehended — 324 — belonged to the age group of 16 to 18 years.

In 2010, of the total number of juveniles apprehended, 169 were sent home after advice, 81 released on probation and placed under the care of parents or guardians, 178 sent to special homes, 27 acquitted and 156 cases are still pending.

Another classification shows that of all juveniles apprehended in 2010, 154 were found to be illiterate, 235 had gone to primary school, 204 attended middle school and 34 had done matriculation.

Of 627 juveniles detained in 2010, 504 were found to be living with their parents, 87 with guardians and 36 were homeless.

Treating them with care

What is worrying police and lawmakers is that an increasing number of juveniles are coming in conflict with law across the country. Child counsellors say such children need to be treated with care.

“They are not criminals. They children also need care and protection,” said Amod K Kanth, head of NGO Prayas and ex-chairperson of Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Children commit crime because of neglect by parents, drug abuse, boredom, poverty and negative influence of movies. Some child rights groups have found a link between adolescent crime and family problems. “When these kids face or see financial problems at home, they turn towards crime,” said a senior police officer.

In 2010, the family income of 408 juveniles apprehended was below Rs 25,000 per annum, and 122 had a family income between Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000 per annum. The family income of 70 juveniles was between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh.

While 18 of them had an income of at least between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 3 lakh, only six were found to have an annual family income above Rs 3 lakh. More vulnerable Children who have been exposed to violent behaviour from childhood at home, have been victim of abuse or have suffered emotionally stressful conditions in the family, are prone to committing crime.

According to senior police officials, lack of attention from parents can result in children taking the wrong path.

In their search for affection and satisfaction, adolescents often turn to drugs to fulfill their needs. Some take to violence.

Class no bar

But many young offenders also come from affluent families.

“Nowadays, even children from well-off middle-class and upper middle-class families are turning to crime,” said Jeevan Anmol, a social worker. Peer pressure and the thrill they get out of doing an illegal act are major reasons, according to him.
 Child rights activists say good care and sound rehabilitation programmes will help affected kids keep themselves away from crime. They say such programmes are few in the country, and it is very difficult to maintain high quality in all of them.

“The need of the hour is to love children, nurture them and give them strength before it is too late,” said former child welfare committee member Randhir Kashap.

On the day Deccan Herald visited the observation home, a 16-year-old boy said, “Our parents barely manage three meals a day. I did not know that my act would bring shame on them. I will never do it again.”