Police crack down on landlords not sharing info on migrant jewellery artisans, 55 cases filed this month

Rajkot is a hub of gold, silver and imitation jewellery manufacturing. Scores of artisans from West Bengal, Maharashtra, Rajasthan etc work in these units concentrated largely under the jurisdiction of A and B Division police stations in the city.

The police or local magistrates have been issuing notifications making it mandatory for the owners/managers to furnish details of rent agreement, identity and address proof of tenants. “But compliance level is low in areas where jewellery manufacturing units are located. We had made the jewellery manufacturers and labour contractors aware about the need to share rent agreement details, after which they started doing it. But of late, they have stopped, saying they need more time. Therefore, we have started taking action against them for the past two months. In August, at least 55 cases have been registered so  far against the violation of the police commissioner’s recent notification,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Parthrajsinh Gohil told The Indian Express.

Of the seven cases registered on Wednesday, two were against owners/managers from Maharashtra who had rented out houses  to workers from Maharashtra. Out of the other five, four shops are owned by Rajkot residents. Workers from Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat were found to be working in these shops, police said.

SOG head constable Jignesh Amreliya in his complaint said:“It has come to notice that parprantiya (people from outside) are living in Rajkot as tenants and are decamping after committing crimes.”

The accused have been booked under Bharatiya Nayaya Sanhita’s Section 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).

“Once owners/employers intimate us about their tenants or workers, we write to the concerned police station in their native places to seek details of their criminal antecedents, if any. In case of thefts it becomes easier to track the accused,” police inspector in-charge of B Division police station SM Jadeja said, adding, “We are arresting landlords/owners booked under BNS Section 223. But because it is a bailable offence, we grant them bail in due course.”