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MANGALORE: Police are clueless about gangs that are involved in instances of house-break theft by night attempts in Mangalore north-division of Mangalore city police. Burglars made two such unsuccessful attempts at Port Employees Cooperative Housing Colony at Hosabettu in the early hours of Sunday. Burglars gained entry into one house and rifled through it, finding nothing significant, attempted to do it again in a second house. However, it was foiled by alert neighbours.

Mangalore north division assistant commissioner of police Ravi Kumar told TOI that he has instructed personnel of Surathkal, Mulki, Panambur and Moodbidri police stations to keep extra vigil against a gang or gangs that are operating in the division. Repeated messages have been given to personnel at the respective police stations and also reiterated during the public contact programmers on the need to be vigilant against such incidents.

People can lose their life’s earnings in one swoop, Ravi Kumar said, adding a little bit of care on part of property owners too can go a long way in keeping their property safe. "It will be useful to police if owners inform their jurisdictional police stations in case they are going away for a long period of time," he said, adding that generally thieves and burglars keep a watch on houses that are locked for prolonged periods before moving in on them.

In addition, instructions have been issued to police in mufti to go in for "lurking beat" so that they keep watch on an area or a neighbourhood while literally lurking in a not so prominent place. "We are giving people our contact numbers at interaction meets so that they can inform any of the senior officers in case of need," he said adding information if received in time can help police on rounds to go in for immediate ’check bandhi’ and search people.

Asserting that city police chief Manish Kharbikar too keenly follows progress of beats over the wireless, Ravi Kumar said he would endeavour to further tighten the beats so that police nab the culprits at the earliest. "The modus operandi in the case where thieves targeted the house of a bank employee at Surathkal last month and the one at Hosabettu seem to be similar," he said adding it is premature to state if a gang or gangs are operating.