Track ex-convicts and update their records: GRP commissioner
Between January 2016 and December 2018, commuters travelling on Mumbai’s suburban rail network have lost belongings, mostly mobile phones, worth a total of ₹47.72 crore, with property worth ₹50,000 being stolen per day.
Continuing the zero tolerance policy against robbers and criminals, Government Railway Police (GRP) commissioner Ravindra Sengaokar has kick-started the “criminal surveillance project” to keep a watch on history-sheeters even after they get out of jail.
For this, he has called for their information to be periodically updated in the GRP record.
Between January 2016 and December 2018, commuters travelling on Mumbai’s suburban rail network have lost belongings, mostly mobile phones, worth a total of ₹47.72 crore, with property worth ₹50,000 being stolen per day.
The railway police have succeeded in recovering stolen property worth ₹4.24 crore in the given period.
With more than 400 record criminal arrests, the police claim they have been successful in curtailing robberies on local trains.
According to Sengaokar, the robbers and thieves are arrested and presented in court, following which they are imprisoned for two to three months on the charge of theft under section 379 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
After completing their sentences, most of these robbers return to a life of crime.
Officers said that in 2018 alone, at least 2,160 mobile phone robbers were caught by the GRP, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and commuters. The number of mobile thefts, however, registered in 2018 was 22,920.
“The criminal surveillance project will keep a watch on these criminals even after they are released from prison,” said Sengaokar, who conducted a meeting of all 17 GRP police stations and the crime branch, and asked them to submit the list of criminals to him.
Sengaokar said that each day, two constables will be sent to record ex-convicts’ addresses, and take their photos.
The constables will also interview their neighbours and relatives to find out what the criminals have been up to following their release from prison.
The findings will then be entered into a database and submitted to the commissioner’s office, every week.
Sengaokar said that if the constables do not find the criminals at their registered addresses, they will be traced by detection and crime branch officers.
“This project started last week and will continue, as apart from criminals with past records, many new robbers and criminals keep surfacing,” added Sengaokar.