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Both communities live in fear as criminal gangs rule the roost
KAIRANA (SHAMLI): With 13 registered gangs, Kairana , the city facing the threat of migration , seems to have learnt to live under the fear of crime.
KAIRANA (SHAMLI): With 13 registered gangs, Kairana , the city facing the threat of migration , seems to have learnt to live under the fear of crime.
Criminals seem to be dominating the lives of the people here. Even the local gossip around the city mostly includes stories related to crime and criminals -- of how a stolen car was hidden deep in the soil years back to avoid police detection and ‘Gathri (villagers tie commodities in a piece of cloth to carry as baggage)’ gangs used females as passengers to smuggle parts of dismantled firearms from Pakistan.
The town with a population of over one lakh does not even have a petrol pump.
“The owner of only petrol pump closed it and shifted to Meerut almost eight years ago,” said Sanjay Rajput, president of Vyapaar Mandal. People bring fuel from neighbouring Haryana.
Advocate Shagun Mittal points that there is no qualified doctor in the city because professionals are unwilling to put their lives in danger.
Pradeep Mittal who owns Rama Cinema in the town claims that theatres in Kairana are also having a tough time. “They threaten if staff and the owners dare to challenge them,” said Mittal who has lodged five cases against criminals in past few years but to no avail. He claims that two cinema hall owners shifted to Dehradun after renting out their halls and another is being demolished.
The fear seems to have has nothing to do with a communal divide. Muslims are also equally affected by prevailing lawlessness due to these criminals. Kairana Dehat’s pradhan, Sattar lives here but has established his transport business in Haryana. “I can’t take the risk of exposing my business and wealth because very next day criminal may target me for ransom or extortion,” clarifies Sattar disclosing that a few Muslim families were also threatened for extortion.
The district has 13 registered gangs, including that of dreaded criminals Mukeem and Furkaan who are in jail along with their active members. But people say that they continue to operate from inside the jail.
