GANDHINAGAR, March 22: An integrated rapid action cell (IRAC) has been set up to keep a check on crimes in Surat, Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya told the State Assembly on Monday.Replying to a calling attention notice by ruling party member Atmaram Parmar, Pandya said there were two cases of dacoity, five cases of loot and three cases of house-breaking took place in Surat between March 13 and 16 which he admitted was a high rate. He said two criminals were nabbed in one case while probe was going on in the remaining cases.Leader of Opposition Amarsinh Chaudhary alleged that crime rate in Surat had been on the rise after appointment of a particular officer as commissioner of police. Denying this, the minister said the Opposition might have some complaints against the officer concerned but it was after his posting that crime rate had fallen in Surat. He said 27 new chowkies were opened in Surat in the past two months and beats assigned to head constables besides posting of mounted police in outskirts and rural areas around the city.About action taken for curbing crimes, Pandya said 122 persons were booked under Cr P C, 11 under Bombay Police Act, 93 under prohibition laws, and one under PASA.To an unstarred question raised by Faruk Shaikh, the minister said that during April 1 and December 31, 1998, there was 82 cases of murder, 92 cases of loot, 130 cases of grievous hurt and 59 cases of kidnapping took place in Surat city. Besides these, 24 cases of rape, 16 cases of dacoity, 1,632 cases of theft and 28 cases of atrocities on Dalit took places in the city during that period.Of these, culprits were yet to be nabbed in 26 cases of murder, 40 cases of loot, 19 cases of grievous hurt and 21 cases of kidnapping. None was nabbed also in three cases of rape, four cases of dacoity and 1,265 cases of theft. No body was booked in two cases of atrocities either, he said. Highest number of thefts, 232, in Salabatpura area while the least number of theft were registered in DCB area. Umra, Mahidharpura, Varachha were also big targets of theft last year, the minister said.
