Drug Addiction Driving Teenagers to Crime
According to a news report, In Hyderabad, of the total chain snatchers arrested in the last five years, 25% of them were engineering graduates, 25% of them degree students, 20% had either completed intermediate or are dropouts from graduation, and around 20% have completed SSC and are working in odd jobs. It is increasingly becoming unsafe, especially for elderly women to pass through isolated streets with gold on. In fact, it is shocking to know that most of these crimes are being committed by desperate youngsters who are in dire need for money to keep up with their alcohol and drug addictions and who hire from well-educated backgrounds and well-to-do families.
Youngsters between the ages 13-18 need to be continuously monitored by their parents to rule out alcohol and drug abuse. The reasons why teenagers fall prey to these habits may range from factors including peer pressure, curiosity and experimental attitudes, availability of money and systematic availability of drugs from illegal organised mediums. A recent research suggests that undue academic pressure too contributes to children resorting to drugs and alcohol for relief.
Addictions in teenagers are tricky and handling them is hard
Many teens are unaware of the fact that there is just a thin line between substance abuse and addiction. Just because someone had abused a drug, we cannot say that they are addicted. But, it’s just a few more times of experimentation that could land teens in a deep delving loathsome addiction, that not only hinders their physical and mental development, but also makes them anti-social for the want of resources to buy their drugs. Lack of parental supervision, poor family set ups, dysfunctional families and childhood abuse are said to be the leading reasons why addicts turn into criminals who exhibit violent behaviours, steal, involve themselves in illegal activities and join similar rouge gangs. The saddest part is that there is no coming back after joining gangs.
Why do users rob?
Once the teenagers are prone to habits such as alcohol abuse, smoking or drug abuse, they develop cravings over a period of time that cannot be controlled. Since they are not employed or have limited resources of income, they start either stealing from their own families or stealing from others. For them, chain snatching is an easy job that can yield big money. Worse even, they get themselves into illegal and violent trades to earn enough money to source their drugs. They work pre-planned to target elderly women on isolated roads, often on high-speed bikes without name plates so as to not get traced. This practice has become common among students of engineering. In Cyberabad West Commissionerate, six students were arrested in 2016 and in Cyberabad East Commissionerate, 14 students were arrested for chain snatchings. A case made itself to the headlines when the son of a retired DSP in Amritsar was caught in a chain snatching case. Investigations revealed that he was then employed in a nationalised Bank. However, he fell into the trap of drug abuse and was therefore involved in stealing gold to make easy money for his daily dose.
In another horrifying case, of the three youths arrested by the Chandigarh Police Crime Branch on charges of snatching, one is the son of a woman constable deployed with the Chandigarh Police while another is the son of the principal of a model school. All of 19 years, Mandeep took to crime after he and his friends (Sahil and Talwinder) could not arrange money to pay for their drugs.
Consequences of Chain Snatching
Make note that “According to IPC sections 392 (robbery) and 379 (theft), chain snatchers are imprisoned for an average duration of 3 to 7 years. However, the Gujarat government has recently made amendments to the IPC section 379, thus increasing the number of years from 7 years to 10 years, with an additional fine of Rs 25,000 and an extension of 3 years depending on the extent of damage caused to the victim.”
Nevertheless, help is available for teens who are determined to change but are helpless because of their compulsive behaviours. Phoenix Rehab Services is India’s leading Rehabilitation Centre for Substance Abuse and Behavioural Addiction. At Phoenix, we can help provide the right tools to you or your loved ones on the journey to lead a healthy life free from addiction.
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