Noose tightens on criminals shifting base

Criminals, who shift to another city after committing crime, might not get away easily.

Criminals, who shift to another city after committing crime, might not get away easily.

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The police have started an exercise to chase known criminals to their hideout and update their records. They will also inform their counterparts in other states about the criminals who make Mumbai their hideout. “Police stations have been instructed to update their records on known criminals in their respective jurisdiction through a thorough verification of their addresses,” said, Rajkumar Vhatkar, deputy commissioner of police, operations.

Last week, the police commissioner’s office issued a directive to every police station across the city. “The circular entails mounting constant surveillance on the activities of known criminals (through informers) and rounding them up under preventive sections (CrPC 110) if necessary,” said Vhatkar. The category of known criminals ranges from the hardened ones to chain snatchers/ pickpockets and even local vagabonds.

If a criminal has shifted from the address mentioned in the police station records, then his latest address should be traced and the local police station should be informed about it.

On the basis of the information collected during the exercise, the police stations have been asked to compile an A Roll and B Roll.

“The information collected will not only help track down a criminal from outside the city but also help police stations elsewhere in the country to keep tabs on criminals from Mumbai residing in their area,” Vhatkar said. He added that the instruction has been given to start a fresh crackdown on criminals during the updating of records. After compilation of data from police stations across the city, plans are afoot to make a centralised data bank, Vhatkar added.