Teenagers take to crime for lavish lifestyle

ALLAHABAD: City teenagers are taking to crime to finance a lavish lifestyle. Police records indicate that teenagers in the age group of 14 and 20 years are taking to crime in a big way without even giving a second thought to its after-affects. Most of these youngsters then take to heinous crimes.
The recent arrest of three teenagers for snatching gold chain and mobiles is an indication of the trend.Police described the trio as misguided and said that they had no criminal background. Most of these teenagers commit a crime in groups in a well thought out plan to avoid arrest.
Recently, two teenagers were arrested in connection with a theft case. Hailing from a well-to-do family, they used to work in a group and the booty was used to give costly gifts to their girlfriends. They took to crime as their pocket money was not enough to support their lavish lifestyle.
Last year, more than 25 teenagers were arrested for offences like auto-lifting, chain-snatching and theft. During interrogation, they revealed that they entered the crime world believing that their activities would never come to fore.
Senior officials said that parents needed to play a more active role to check the trend. They said that proper guidance could prevent a child from taking a plunge into the world of crime. Mere reprimand or warning was not enough to keep a child away from criminal activities. Parents must act tough, they said as reprimand seldom has desired results. Psychiatrists, however, believe that parents must give a patient hearing to their children. Psychiatrists blame inferiority complex and low tolerance level for teenagers taking to crime. "They want the best without putting an ounce of effort. Hence, crime seems to be quite easy," they said.
Police records indicate that approximately 80% of teenagers were involved in petty offences like chain-snatching, theft and pick-pocketing while 20% were involved in property-related offences.Dy SP Samar Bahadur said "parents should take care of the activities of their wards." He added that parents should also look into the requirements of their wards carefully and make them aware of the ugly side of their needs.