Robberies are very common nowadays. It can be either phone or purse or any valuable item. But in Noida, a weird kind of robbery is happening. It is Pizza robbery. Yes! you read it right.
As thieves decide to treat themselves, they are running away with pizza. According to the delivery boys, as they park their bike to search for the delivery address, all pizzas are stolen.
Pizza delivery boys said that "on an average, there are 8-10 such incidents in the city every month, but most remain unreported. With a dozen pizzas being stolen in Noida every week, we take a look at the intricacies of this unusual crime."
Delivery boys said that there is no particular number of how many pizzas are being stolen from Noida but on a average over a dozen pizzas are stolen in a week.
"Ab yeh toh nahin keh sakte ki poore Noida mein kitni chori hoti hai, par sunne me aata hai sabse ki hafte mein do-teen incident ho jaati hain," says Ramesh, a pizza delivery boy with Dominos.
Ramesh's colleague adds, "It's not as if they steal only one pizza when they rob you. Saare le jaate hain jitney ho aapke paas. Normally, a delivery boy carries 4-5 pizzas when out for delivery."
Most cases were not reported because police used to say 'pizza hi toh hai'
The latest case took place on January 6, when Rajnish, a pizza delivery boy, was robbed in Noida Sector 58. He tells us, "I had parked my bike, and was looking for the address, when three men came on a bike, and snatched the pizzas from me. Before I could react, they sped off towards Sector 57."
Luckily, a PCR van was in the area. Rajnish called the cops and the accused were immediately arrested with the stolen pizzas at a traffic signal in Sector 57 in just 15 minutes.
A manager of a Dominos restaurant in Noida, says, "We make a written complaint about it, but most times, no FIR is filed. A written complaint is required because we have to document stolen pizzas, and report it to our superiors. Par FIR ka jhanjhat kaun lega? Pizza hi toh hai."
"Yes, we have heard of the odd cases of delivery boys being robbed in the city, but we can't take action or investigate if the cases aren't being reported," says a senior police official.
Ravi, a delivery boy in Greater Noida, says, "Most of these incidents happen near Knowledge Park, where all the colleges are. It could be because it's a deserted area, but the thieves seem to be well-off, not the regular criminals. Normal choron ko pizza chura ke kya milega?"
In Noida, the most common spots where pizza robberies happen include areas near Sector 58 and Sector 62. Several colleges are located in both the sectors apart from places like Sector 12 and places close to Expressway.
Delivery boys say that there is no specific time frame the robberies take place. In busy areas, robberies take place usually after sunset, but in remote areas like Expressway and Knowledge Park, incidents have been reported during broad daylight as well.
The robberies first started, a few years ago. After the pizza was stolen, delivery boys used to face huge difficulty convincing their bosses that robbery actually happened. Managers used to suspect delivery boys of selling the pizzas, and then reporting as stolen.
A pizza delivery boy at a joint in Sector 18, told "Initially, it seemed funny, but when the incidents started happening more regularly, it became ridiculous. Shuru mein toh managers maante hi nahi thay ki aisa kuch hua hai. Kehte thay ki tum ne koi ghapla toh nahi kiya hai, aur ab keh rahe ho chori ho gaye. That is why we insisted on informing the police. Report na likhwayein, phir bhi bata toh dete hi hain police ko."
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