By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, May 3: Social and financial crimes are more likely to increase in the Valley if the nationwide lockdown continues even after May 7, Metropolitan Police Office, Ranipokhari, said Friday.
More suicide cases are being registered in police offices in the Valley during the lockdown, according to Deputy Inspector General and chief at the Metropolitan Police Office, Bishwa Raj Pokhrel.
“Criminal activities may also take place in the Valley if the government and the local bodies fail to offer suitable jobs to those who have become jobless and had to depend on daily wage earnings,” DIG Pokhrel said.
As long as the lockdown continues, daily wage earners and street-based folks may involve themselves in social crime like cheating and stealing, he said.
“When the lockdown continues, some unemployed youths may also involve in or join themselves underground armed outfits to do anything in need of serving their starving families,” said DIG Pokhrel.
Crimes in the society increase mainly due to financial crisis to people, he said. Also due to the prolonged lockdown situation, some cases may come to the police office for registration even after the lockdown by those labourers or employees who work in various organised sectors when their owners fail to pay them full salaries, he said.
According to the MPO records, a total of 217 criminal activities have taken place in three districts of the Valley after the nationwide lockdown came into effect. Of them, 177 took place in Kathmandu, 28 in Lalitpur and 12 in Bhaktapur district.
Of different crimes, the cases of unnatural deaths, murder attempts, banking frauds were in highest occurrence within this period. In 37 days of the lockdown, 22 people have committed suicides in the Valley. Similarly, 60 unnatural death cases took place within this period, 43 murder attempts, 33 banking fraud cases, eight rape cases, seven theft cases and six indecent behaviour cases.
Former DIG of Nepal Police Hemanta Malla said that when people start facing financial problems, they may indulge themselves in crimes and some commit suicide.
People who are notable and considered as members of high class society, always remain at risk of being target from such poor and unemployed people, he said.
The government, mainly the local government, should introduce various programmes to keep villagers engaged by announcing various relief packages targeting unemployed and hungry people, Malla suggested. Labourers and poor family members should not be kept unemployed for long, he said.