YOUNG AND RECKLESS
Its a heady mix of easy cash, crime and the thrill of the game. More and more youngsters are walking on the wild side, ready to kidnap, rob or kill in order to maintain expensive lifestyles. The Times of India gets to the root of the problem
S Shanthi | TNN
December 11, 2006
Wanna make some fast money to keep your girlfriend or friends happy? Then kidnap a child, rob a house, snatch a chain… If parents say no to the latest iPod, then shoplift at the nearest mall.
No, we are not suggesting ways of making a fast buck. These are just the modus operandi of youth who are willing to take dangerous shortcuts to easy money. Welcome to the world of the young and the reckless, who can go to any lengths to finance their lifestyle girlfriends, latest mobile phones, parties, pubs and flashy cars. Be it Chhatrapal who kidnapped Adobe India CEO Naresh Guptas son to impress his lady love or Ghaziabad engineering students who took to chain snatching to keep their girlfriends happy, crime has become childs play for youngsters.
LOST BOYS
Criminal psychologist Rajat Mitra, who studied Tihar Jail inmates aged between 18 and 22 a few years ago, says, All young criminals I met had fantasies of becoming rich, omnipotent and famous. They had big dreams but wanted quick results. Adds psychiatrist Achal Bhagat, Youngsters are bombarded every day with temptations that are visible but not accessible. As a result, those who have low aversion to risk and a high need to seek sensation, take to crime.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, out of the total number of arrests in 2005, 43% was in the age group of 18 to 30. In Delhi, it was 61%. Youngsters today, however educated or well-off, dont mind committing a crime as they think duniya meri mutthi mein hai , says Deependra Pathak, ACP, New Delhi. Materialistic desires have replaced human emotions. Spending on mobiles is increasing since they are a status symbol today, says Arvind Singhal of Technopak, a management consulting firm.
WRONG IS RIGHT
In January 2006, six college-going boys from Mumbais Bandra were arrested for stealing high-end mobile phones. Police officials say the boys were fond of pub hopping and took to theft after their parents refused them pocket money. When they realise that their parents cannot fund their desires, they think of ways to get what they want, be it right or wrong, says Vandana Prakash, clinical psychologist, Fortis, Noida.
Shoplifting is one easy way out. Julius Rajashekhar, GM operations, Ebony, says, At least six or seven people are caught in a month, shoplifting in our showroom. They are mostly in the age group of 12 to 21. Sociologists say crime is propagated by a society which has weak support systems and very relative definitions of right and wrong. It is the societal context of disparity and societal definitions of success that have made a significant contribution in making a young person look at breaking rules in the first instance, and then graduate to crime. After fulfilling an immediate requirement, they gain a selfidentity of being a criminal, says Bhagat.
Interestingly, women also are taking to crime to fulfil their aspirations. In fact, the number of females arrested for criminal activities in Delhi has increased from 2.7% in 2004 to 3.8% in 2005. The Oshiwara police in April 2005 arrested a gang of five youngsters for looting a jewellery store to the tune of Rs 80 lakh. One of the gang members was a 22-year-old girl who wanted to buy a bigger house and buy expensive gadgets. Women are generally inhibited. However, they are equally tempted to acquire material goods. Thats why they indulge in forgery, theft and even prostitution, says Mala Kapur Shankardass, sociology professor, Maitreyi College, Delhi.
Most of the times they dont feel guilty. This is mainly because they dont have role models in their parents, who are too busy in their own worlds, says Prakash. Seventeenyear-old Naresh took a few lakhs from his parents cupboard without informing them. My father never spent time with me. I was alone and thought I could spend time with my friends. I needed money for that, he says. He even bought a car. His parents were clueless about it for a month till they checked the locker. When they asked Naresh, he admitted taking the money, without any remorse.
BREEDING MATTERS
Such anti-social behaviour is seen more common in boys and, particularly, those having parents who indulge in such behaviour. If a father has drinking habit, his son is 5% more likely to become an alcoholic than the one whose father is not, Prakash adds. A sense of boundaries is not taught to todays children, says Dr Mitra. They grow up in an environment where distortion and manipulation of the law is common. So, they dont mind going against the law, he adds.
G K Karanth, sociologist and head of the department of sociology, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, says, In the previous generation, the idea of committing a crime, hitting someone, killing used to send a chill down ones spine. Today, such a thought evokes excitement, not fear. Crime is thrilling, it is an adventure and is co-terminus with a consumeristic society.
A family system that is communicative, tolerant and nonviolent has less chances of nurturing criminal behaviour, say psychologists. The education system should help young people explore their identities in multiple ways and not just educational or extracurricular performance. Young people have to be valued because they are people and not performers. Each time you ask a child to perform, you may be alienating them from the society and themselves, says Bhagat. It is also very important to teach anger management to youngsters today, says Mitra.
WITH INPUTS FROM SHARMISHTA KOUSHIK, BANGALORE, SAIBAL SEN IN KOLKATA AND NITASHA NATU IN MUMBAI