With Sankranthi festivities fast approaching, Hyderabad police are making public service announcements to drive awareness about the risk of burglaries.  Many households are going to be locked when families travel to other towns for up to a week.  This becomes an opportunity for thieves to plan burglaries.  

What precautionary measures can the residents of the city take to prevent burglaries?

The police say that tricking the thieves by keeping the lights on and by covering the lock with curtains will help.  

Informing the neighbours and requesting them to keep an eye on their house in their absence is another age-old measure that we all take instinctively.  

It also helps if a CCTV camera is installed so that you can monitor the movements near your house from anywhere through a smartphone app.  

If your vacation is long, informing the local police station would be of help. Constables will maintain a vigil during nights with special focus on houses like yours.

Using good quality locks is a must.

Above all, using 100 to dial up the police in case of an emergency shouldn't be forgotten.  Alternatively, the Cyberabad Police can be reached on these numbers: 9490617111 (WhatsApp) or 9494721100.