Police reaches out for help

SURAT, July 30: The city police, acknowledging a spurt in serious crime in the city, in a statement issued on Thursday, asked people who ...

SURAT, July 30: The city police, acknowledging a spurt in serious crime in the city, in a statement issued on Thursday, asked people who have been victims of intimidation, extortion and harassment to report to the police immediately. They have also assured that the identity of those providing information will be safeguarded.

The statement, issued by Additional Police Commissioner P C Thakur, while acknowledging that extortion cases had increased in the city of late, said the statement was issued after arrest of six gangsters of the Bhura Munja gang and extortionist Dharmendra Punjabi. All seven are currently in police remand till August 1.

Punjabi has also been charged under different sections of the Atrocities Act for attempting to forcibly take over a land belonging to an SC/ST trust.

Members of the Bhura Munja gang, too, had come to the city to forcibly vacate land in the Varachha area of the city.

There have been a number of cases in the recent past, when gangs and anti- social elements from outside the city, and even the state, have been called here to extort money and forcibly vacate premises. Last year, five gangsters of the Chhota Rajan gang were nabbed by the district police. Investigations revealed that the five had come to forcibly vacate premises.

They were later handed over to the Mumbai police after the police failed to establish offences committed by them.

Also, notorious gangsters Shahezada Khan and Mohammed Riaz were nabbed from a city hotel on July 7. According to the police, the two had been called from Mumbai by a builder, who wanted plots of land vacated in the Varachha and Rander areas. They were nabbed by the DCB in a surprise raid. The DCB, however, declined to reveal the builder8217;s name.

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Punjabi 8212; against whom a FIR was lodged by builder Vijay Shah last year, when a cheque of Rs 10 lakh bounced 8212; was nabbed by the Umra police last week. His arrest came two days after the police chased him in a car. He had abandoned the car and escaped, leading to recovery of Rs 10.50 lakhs from the car. Incidently, the city police have been vehemently denying the involvement of organised gangs in crimes committed here.

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