E-Paper
Social media giving wings to policing in Ludhiana
The police have formed several groups on WhatsApp in which officers share information regarding pictures of unidentified bodies, missing persons and those wanted in crimes
Be it tracing a missing child or a snatcher or an outlaw, Ludhiana police is making the best of social networking sites by posting information on different platforms such as Whats App, Twitter and Facebook. And this is working for the police and they could crack a number of cases after getting tip-offs from users.
The police managed to arrest a snatching accused and also traced the families of two missing children found wandering on the city streets in past 10 days by sharing their information on the social media platforms. The Ludhiana police are getting positive response from the users.
In a Facebook post on November 2, the police uploaded pictures of two men who were fleeing after snatching a scooter from Gaunsgarh village of Meharban. The users identified the accused and informed the police. Very next day, one of the accused landed in the police net and the scooter was recovered from his possession.
The Division 2 police rescued a 4-year-old missing child from near Shani Mandir in Islamgunj on October 28 after getting inputs from locals. The police posted pictures of the child on social networking sites and hours later, his parents contacted the police.
Inspector Surinder Chopra said parents said their son was playing in the street and went missing. They told the police that someone informed them that their son was with the police after seeing pictures on the Facebook.
Similarly, a 5-year-old missing boy was rescued by Focal Point police from Ishwar Colony. The police circulated his pictures on social networking sites and within hours his parents too approached the police. Focal Point SHO inspector Amandeep Singh Brar said the boy had gone missing while playing in the street.
WhatsApp network
The police have formed several groups on WhatsApp in which officers share information regarding pictures of unidentified bodies, missing persons and those wanted in crimes.
The police have also used the app to share information regarding persons arrested for snatching to get more information, including their criminal background. In case there is a law-and-order situation, police officers get updates on the ground situation in real time.
Commissioner of police Rakesh Agrawal said that social media is a very strong medium for reaching out to the masses and police are using it for the benefit of society.
