The actual cases of theft could be higher as several strikes went unreported or were clubbed in a single First Information Report (FIR). Sources say at times, policemen register FIRs months after the crime to keep the number of cases low in official records.

Concerned over the inordinate delay in registering FIRs, Mohali SSP Jatinder Singh Aulakh assured action against those officers found responsible for holding up the registration of cases without justification.

“I had issued clear instructions that all FIRs should be lodged immediately after a crime is reported and that several theft cases are not clubbed in a single FIR,” he said.

Since the beginning of 2009, seldom has any day gone by without an incident of burglary being reported. On an average, three to four cases of vehicle thefts or break-ins have been reported daily.

On March 1, thieves escaped with Rs 9 lakh from a money transfer agent’s office in Sector 70, and a day later, a house was burgled in the same sector. Kailash Ahuja, who had gone to Chandigarh with his family, returned home to find gold ornaments and Rs 50,000 missing.

Alarmed over the increased activity of thieves, Mohali SSP said there was a need to intensify patrolling at night under the direct supervision of police officers.

“We will make all out efforts to track down the bandits and ensure the safety of residents,” assured the SSP, while urging the public to help the police in curbing crime.