Theft Occurred

[contactskn 2]

In my life it was the first time when a theft occurred in my house. Actually I with my family went for a small vacation. Like always we locked all the doors, windows everything. But the next day from our departure this theft occurred and my neighbors informed me about the same on phone. I was shocked as it was the first time some thing like that occurred to me. All of a sudden I travelled back to my place and enquired about the details I found the Brocken locks messed up rooms with all my cloths and documents thrown here and there. It was very horrible. Then I arranged everything. Made a list of the good lost in theft it was some gold and silver jewelries. Then I went to the police station and completed with all the formalities. It was my first chance to visit a police station for some complaint. The behavior of those police men was not very good. Asking all sort of non sense questions and giving with more tension. But at last that particular procedure was also finished. But its about 2 months past this incident still now nothing was done by the police. I should say we actually reach in a peculiar psychological condition when something like that occurs to us. During those days I was not even able to sleep and was always tensed. But one thing which I learnt nothing is secured when these dirty creatures want to enter some house. No locks nothing can stop them. But now whenever I am out for even one day I keep all my valuables and documents at my relatives house and then move for the trip. By the way that was a bad incident occurred to me. And I wish no one should face such a situation in life. God bless you all.

[anwiii 17]

i am sorry to hear about your incident after coming back from what i hope was an enjoyable vacation. i can understand FULLY what you had to go through and the effect it must have had. with a post like this, it's good to inform people on how to avoid such things in the future. unfortunately, the world isn't safe from people so people have to take steps to protect themselves and their property.when anyone leaves the house and the house is going to be empty whether your just going to the store or on a vacation, there are 3 simple steps that can help protect your home while you're away.1: turn on a couple lights by a window in the front of the home. if you're going away on vacation, set a timer for lights to go on every so often.2: turn on a radio so you can hear music or someone talking from outside your front door3: don't tell anyone you are leaving for an extended period of timenow the first two steps make it look like someone is in the house. if someone thinks your in the house, it's obviously, there will be a less chance of someone breaking in. the last step is obvious. the more people who know you will be gone, the more dangerous it will be to leave your house unattended.also, in this social networking age, don't tell the world you are going on vacation in a status message. if someone sees your status and notices they live near you, they can try to find out where you live and plan their attack.again, i am really sorry you had to come home to see that you were robbed. the police, like usual, are almost useless in situations like this. they will get enough information to take a report, then it will get filed away along with other paperwork that doesn't get a second glance. your only hope really is if there is if someone else gets robbed(we don't really want that to happen, do we?) and they catch the guy. they can then question them about the incident that happened with YOU.sometimes you can deduct things for yourself and find your own clues. usually burglers like to get in and out of a house as quickly as possible. they don't want to risk getting caught. so from this, you can try to determine how long the burgler was in your home by the things he went through and what the person took. if you have neighbors, you can also ask them if they saw anyone come to your home, or any suspicious activity around the home. for instance, anyone who didn't look familiar or a car parked somewhere that they never saw before. you mentioned they took jewelry. was it hidden? whenever you leave for a vacation, it's always important to hide or lock up something of value to protect those things while you're gone. if your jewelry was hidden, then you have to ask yourself how did the burgler know where to look. sometimes unfortunately, a burglar can be someone you know.while growing up, our house was broken in to 3 times, and there were also a few attempts to break in. we lived on a corner house and smart burglars target corner houses because there are always two exits (one from the front, and one from the side) without having to jump any fences). i've also got my car broken in to 3 times, and it was stolen once.i understand completely what you went through and probably continue to go through. so many emotions to deal with.....especially when it's your first time. i remember when my car got stolen, i thought i was dreaming haha. i couldn't believe it was real. it takes time to get over something like this. it's not only an invasion of privacy, but it makes you feel worthless that you couldn't protect what you value.with that said, it's important to always look on the bright side. all that was taken was material possessions. we can always get those back. nobody was hurt in the burglary. so thank god that nobody was sleeping while someone broke in and nobody got hurt because that happens a lot too. this is also a learning experience which i gave some steps to take and tips for the future. not all is lost, so still be thankful for what you still have.again, i am very sorry that there are so scumbags out there that can hurt people in a world that doesn't have to be so cruel....

[MayukhDebnath 1]

i am sorry to hear about your incident after coming back from what i hope was an enjoyable vacation. i can understand FULLY what you had to go through and the effect it must have had. with a post like this, it's good to inform people on how to avoid such things in the future. unfortunately, the world isn't safe from people so people have to take steps to protect themselves and their property.
when anyone leaves the house and the house is going to be empty whether your just going to the store or on a vacation, there are 3 simple steps that can help protect your home while you're away.

1: turn on a couple lights by a window in the front of the home. if you're going away on vacation, set a timer for lights to go on every so often.
2: turn on a radio so you can hear music or someone talking from outside your front door
3: don't tell anyone you are leaving for an extended period of time

now the first two steps make it look like someone is in the house. if someone thinks your in the house, it's obviously, there will be a less chance of someone breaking in. the last step is obvious. the more people who know you will be gone, the more dangerous it will be to leave your house unattended.

also, in this social networking age, don't tell the world you are going on vacation in a status message. if someone sees your status and notices they live near you, they can try to find out where you live and plan their attack.

again, i am really sorry you had to come home to see that you were robbed. the police, like usual, are almost useless in situations like this. they will get enough information to take a report, then it will get filed away along with other paperwork that doesn't get a second glance. your only hope really is if there is if someone else gets robbed(we don't really want that to happen, do we?) and they catch the guy. they can then question them about the incident that happened with YOU.

sometimes you can deduct things for yourself and find your own clues. usually burglers like to get in and out of a house as quickly as possible. they don't want to risk getting caught. so from this, you can try to determine how long the burgler was in your home by the things he went through and what the person took. if you have neighbors, you can also ask them if they saw anyone come to your home, or any suspicious activity around the home. for instance, anyone who didn't look familiar or a car parked somewhere that they never saw before. you mentioned they took jewelry. was it hidden? whenever you leave for a vacation, it's always important to hide or lock up something of value to protect those things while you're gone. if your jewelry was hidden, then you have to ask yourself how did the burgler know where to look. sometimes unfortunately, a burglar can be someone you know.

while growing up, our house was broken in to 3 times, and there were also a few attempts to break in. we lived on a corner house and smart burglars target corner houses because there are always two exits (one from the front, and one from the side) without having to jump any fences). i've also got my car broken in to 3 times, and it was stolen once.

i understand completely what you went through and probably continue to go through. so many emotions to deal with.....especially when it's your first time. i remember when my car got stolen, i thought i was dreaming haha. i couldn't believe it was real. it takes time to get over something like this. it's not only an invasion of privacy, but it makes you feel worthless that you couldn't protect what you value.

with that said, it's important to always look on the bright side. all that was taken was material possessions. we can always get those back. nobody was hurt in the burglary. so thank god that nobody was sleeping while someone broke in and nobody got hurt because that happens a lot too. this is also a learning experience which i gave some steps to take and tips for the future. not all is lost, so still be thankful for what you still have.

again, i am very sorry that there are so scumbags out there that can hurt people in a world that doesn't have to be so cruel....

First of all I extend my sorrow for the incident and thanks to anwiii for giving some good tips on how to be careful while being out of your home.

I am replying to this topic because of my experience of such a theft case. It was in summer 1998 in then called Calcutta's Salt Lake area, a flat got robbed in broad daylight and we all were taken by surprise. I was in Calcutta for an exam, in my relative's place. It was about 2:30 pm and it was hot outside so almost the whole street was deserted. Most people were indoors and I was supposed to get some cellotape(adhesive) needed for my next days exam, but was not willing to go out in the sun. A lorry with 3 or 4 people came and parked just opposite side of our street. All the people were in shabby dresses and looked like laborers. They promptly moved out of the lorry and approached the flat/building opposite to the flat I was in. I could see that from my window. Within 10 minutes they got a lot of electronics equipments and some valuable furniture and boxes into the lorry and in a jiffy they left the place.

I thought that the tenant in the flat opposite is shifting to a new place but I was proved wrong. Both the husband and wife staying in that flat were employed in a software company and were in office during the daytime. Since no one was at home, and maybe they got the keys duplicated, these thieves took the opportunity and robbed the flat as if it was a routine shifting done by many tenants. I saw an old man walking the street arround that time but like me, he too did not pay any attention. It was in the evening when the couple returned home to find that the flat was robbed and valuables missing, we realized that it was a planned robbery. In cities, many a times the neighbors are taken by surprise and such heinous crimes do occur.

My mother however is superstitious and places a broom upside down hidden near the main entrance, which she says is to prevent omen to enter the house. Also whether day or night she keeps the light ON in our puja room, whenever all people are not at home. I also remember once my mother misplaced our almirah keys which she could not recall if she kept in the store room hidden or in the kitchen. We had to break open the almirah finally.

Keeping a automatic sound system or a timer lighting system is a costly option but are very good options. Also telling very few people about your absence from home as said by anwiii is very helpful. Asking a neighbor to stay during the nights is also a very good option, which we regularly follow. However, we need to get some gifts for the person or family who stays during our absence, but its a cheaper and safer alternate. I also keep my landline phone in off mode, no sound mode, so that too many unattended calls sound attracts attention that no one is at home.

[sheepdog 10]

I am very sorry to hear about your break in contactskn. It is unlikely that the police will catch the purpitrators, but I hope for your sake they do. It's a shame the police had to be such jerks about it too, like you haven't suffered enough? Wonder why that had to be that way, it is their job after all to catch criminals. I do understand the physcoligy side of it too. In many ways the after effects are worse than the belongings you lost. The very feeling of not feeling safe in the one place you should be the safest of all, your own home. Oddly, I was just having this conversation today with the elderly lady that occasionally helps me out with a little housework. She had a little strawberry patch just a little out of site from her house, and when she stopped by to pick the berries today, someone had stolen them. She was really upset. Not so much by the value of a few strawberries, but the fact that someone obviously had been watching her and knew she was away so they could get them. And even though she is not your typical little old lady, she certainly did feel victimized. Now she is a tiny woman, under 100lbs soaking wet with rocks in her pockets, in her 80's, and certainly may apear to be an easy target, but trust me, she is not. She is well armed and not in the least afraid to shoot first and ask questions later. If the patch had not been out of gun range from her house, those thieves would be fertilizing the strawberries, not eating them. Never the less, it is still a tramatizing thing to go threw. Another tip for when you are away from home nobody mentioned so far is to have someone pick up your mail for you if it is delivered to your home. A stuffed full mailbox is a sure sign that nobody has been home for awhile. Try to have someone you trust pick it up for you, or have the post office hold your mail at the post office until you get home. Try not to tell too many people you are leaving either.