Mussoorie now a haven for criminals?

MUSSOORIE: The attack on authorStephen Alter and his wife, Ameeta, on Thursday shows that this peaceful hilltown in Uttarakhand is gradually turning into a haven for criminals looking forsoft targets.Stephen, a cousin of popular Bollywood actor Tom Alter,and his wife were stabbed on Thursday by four miscreants who entered theirresidence at Landour, on the outskirts of Mussoorie, posing as carpenters. Therobbers also took away valuables. A day after the incident, Mussoorie SP J PKukreti said several people have been rounded up. Kukreti said of the fourrobbers, one had covered his face with cloth. "We are working on the line thathe was probably familiar to the Alters."Residents, meanwhile, areyet to come to terms with the attack on the Alters. The incidents of crime havegone up in the hill town over the past three years and people of Mussoorie nolonger feel safe. As many as 12 people have been killed in the hill town duringthis period and several cases of robbery have been registered. The residentshave demanded tight security in the town, especially in quieter areas likeLandour. Police are yet to solve even a single murder case reported over thepast three years. This has only made residents more uneasy.AuthorRuskin Bond, who is regarded as the 'first citizen' of Landour, said, "Mussoorieis now becoming like Saharanpur or any other city as far as crime is concerned.Its remote areas are specially unsafe." Mussoorie MLA Jot Singh Gunsola alsocondemned the incident.