What needs to be done control organised Crimes!

Question: During the past few months, it has been observed that the activities of convicted gangsters like Lawrence Bishnoi and his rivals are rising and the situation is similar to be the Bombay of the 90s. How do you react to this emerging situation?  
Answer: At the outset, I would say that the situation we are facing today in 2024 is considerably different from the situation in the 1990s. In the 1990s, Dawood Ibrahim and his rivals used to engage convicted criminals, and mostly they were noticed as sharp-shooters. Today, the present gangs are approached by unemployed youth below the age of 17 and there is no criminal record of them. We are undergoing the communication revolution and the world has become a global village. Today’s crimes have become borderless crimes. These are not restricted to only metropolitan areas and these gang members belong to remote places in UP, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and such other parts. The geographical distance is no more there. Not only this, it is also transgressing the boundaries of several nations. The main culprit, Anmol Bishnoi, brother of Lawrence, is in Canada and his associates are in several countries.

Another major difference is that it is suspected that these contracted persons may be targeting the vulnerable persons at the behest of inimical state authorities including China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan or Sri Lanka. Three major factors from the international arena are operating against India. Today the situation has become more complicated with the rising trends like drugs, weapons smuggling, cybercrimes and cryptocurrency. These factors are converging and determined to create splits in the name of religion, region, castes, or language. As a result, the organized crime is rising rapidly.   

If we do not put a halt to it soon, do you think Delhi and nearby areas will become a hub of the underworld?
No, I would not say that. Law enforcement officers are seized with the challenging requirements and doing their best to combat the emerging situation. To improve their efforts further, I would urge them not to depend only on their competency, gadgets and technical intelligence. They also need to improve human intelligence. Law enforcing agencies need to have trust in common man and seek his assistance in tackling crimes in his surroundings. Neglect to petty crimes emboldens the culprits to graduate in criminal world and the society then faces hardened, cruel, underworld criminals. In Maharashtra, for example, when I had the opportunity to work as the Commissioner of Police or as the Director General of Police of the State, we had implemented the idea of ‘Police Mitra’.  ‘Mitra’ is a friend. So, through this ‘Police Mitra’, every Police Station was encouraged to involve the common man and, to our surprise, we found that women, men, elderly persons, youngsters, persons belonging to every community, came forward in hundreds and thousands. More than five lakh private individuals were actively contributing to policing not only by providing information, but also ensuring that all aberrations developing in their surroundings were promptly shared with law enforcing agencies. They also came up with suggestions and implementable solutions. Thus, combating crime became a community affair. As a result, street crimes, particularly extortions, robberies, chain-snatchings, cheatings were curbed substantially.

As per the statistics maintained by National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), the crime rate is increasing 12% to 15% per annum. However, in the year when this scheme was launched, these incidents declined by 15%. Not only was there a decline, but there was also effective control of all these crimes. There was no burking to improve statistics and police stations were doing free registration of crimes. In short, police along with community efforts can ensure that the surroundings even in metros including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai can become safe places.    

What are the challenges before our law enforcing agencies?    
Many of these crimes including radicalisation of youth, encouraging them for jihadi activities, smuggling of drugs, weapons, cybercrimes and cryptocurrency are having external linkages. While most of the countries are following rules of business, there are a few countries which are also sponsoring incidents of terrorism, fake currency, radicalisation and cybercrimes. The Government of India is engaging with as many countries as possible, besides enlisting the cooperation of multilateral organisations. It has set up a Multiple Agency Centre (MAC) under the Ministry of Home Affairs and shares these details promptly with the state governments. In areas such as control of narcotics, weapons, fake currency and terrorism, the Government of India has encouraged training of officers and providing financial assistance for infrastructure for setting up of fast-track courts, creation of forensic labs, helplines, and latest technology. Funding is also provided for additional manpower for a certain period.    

There is a trend that the gangsters who are lodged in various jails are still able to operate from inside the jail and commit crimes like murder, extortion, threats, smuggling, etc. How can it be stopped?
The issue of jail reforms is long overdue. Indian jails are operating with archaic infrastructure and British period laws and rules framed more than hundred years ago. The Supreme Court has repeatedly underlined the need to amend jail manuals. Today jails in metropolitan areas everywhere are overcrowded. On the other hand, district jails have a negligible number of prisoners. As the trials of undertrials are not taking place expeditiously, the number of such persons is increasing every day. These undertrials cannot be shifted to other jails, unless the court orders. They are expected to be produced before the judicial officers for bail frequently. But they can be produced through video conferencing facility. They can even have conversation with their advocates and relatives using video conference facility. The recently introduced ‘Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita’ (BNSS) encourages trials through video conferencing facility. Moreover, prisoners can have access to healthcare facilities from medical colleges through video conferencing facility. This was implemented from 2017 till the outbreak of Corona pandemic in February 2020. More than 11,000 prisoners had availed this facility successfully. Several trials have been successfully completed using video conferencing facility.  Even the Supreme Court and various High Courts are constantly encouraging use of this facility. Using telecommunication facilities would drastically change the situation in jails.

Secondly, most of the jail buildings are in dilapidated conditions. These need to be demolished and buildings with modern requirements need to be provided in a time frame of five to seven years. Modern problems such as using mobile phones or witnessing jail-break movies on TV sets in prisons were unheard of in earlier times. Separate prisons for females also need to be constructed as the number of women prisoners is increasing every day. Please recall, when Narendra Modi was chief minister of Gujarat, he ensured construction of a model jail in Ahmedabad. It is equipped with all modern amenities and worth visiting by one and all. Delay in constructing such model jails results in all the problems including corruption, jail-breaks, threats to jail officials, using of mobile phones from within and many more.

What is your take on Baba Siddiqui’s matter?
As per investigation being done by the Crime Branch of Mumbai police, so far 21 accused have been arrested from various parts of the country including the spot where the murder took place, taking advantage of the festivities. These culprits have been arrested from Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur and Bahraich bordering Nepal. Almost for two months, Baba Siddiqui was under surveillance by the accused. As per the investigating officer, jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother Anmol, believed to be living in Canada, was allegedly behind the murder, but the motive was not clear. The accused were provided weapons, cartridges, SIM (card) and a mobile phone for the murder. It appears neither Baba Siddiqui nor his son had disclosed about threats, if any, from any of their business rival or anybody else. Being a day of festival and the presence of policemen around, two of the culprits were caught from the spot. When any celebrity from Bollywood or otherwise, receives a threat for extortion, he or she should inform the police immediately and avoid any routine which is easy for their rivals to identify and assault them. Perhaps this was a result of business rivalry and it would be not proper to treat it as political assassination. Investigation would establish the motive as well. This particular incident cannot be treated as break down of law and order.

Is Mumbai returning to earlier period of nineties when celebrities were receiving threats from underworld gangs?
Today with legislations such as Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA) as modified in 2012 and Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities (MPDA) Act, the police are in a much stronger position to ensure stern action against criminals on record. The recently implemented Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 has also defined organized crimes and mentions penal provisions for the same. These preventive legislative measures would ensure, the situation of the nineties would not return. In addition, those who receive threats should not fall victims to the underworld and should refrain from making any payment to extortionists. People should have faith in the competency of the police and help police to nab these criminals. At the same time, people should also take maximum precautions as suggested by police on their websites about their personal safety.

What other steps are needed to improve the situation?
Today, with the explosion of the number of internet users, the culprits have entered your wallet through your mobile phones in the form of cybercriminals. Using inducements, or creating fake fear by threatening in the name of digital arrest or marital frauds, fake investment portals, offers for non-existing jobs, using your profiles on social media, increasing number of people are being cheated for hundreds of crores every day. These frauds are happening through emails, SMS, messages through WhatsApp, other social media, calls or video calls. Extortions are taking place using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to camouflage identity of the criminals so that their identity is not detected easily. The Centre has frozen around 4.5 lakh “mule’ bank accounts, typically used for laundering proceeds of cybercrimes, in the past year. Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) highlighted that fraudsters are nowadays withdrawing payments from such ‘mule’ accounts- which are usually created using KYC documents of another person – through cheques, ATMs, and digitally. Police have been now asked to investigate the role of bank managers/officials in opening such accounts. As a precaution, I would urge everyone to refrain from responding to any video/call unless the same is verified and you are satisfied about the caller’s identity. Similarly, do not download apps which are doubtful. Do not click on links sent to you through e-mails. Before transferring funds, check the person whom you are sending the same. In case you are cheated, contact immediately cybercrime.gov.in by email or dial 1930 /14407 for assistance. Report suspected fraud and unsolicited commercial communication received within last thirty days to https://services.india.gov.in/service/detail/chakshu-report-suspected-fraud-communication.

Secondly, every effort needs to be made to ensure that youth in the country do not fall prey to drugs. There are a number of rehabilitation centres to assist them for withdrawing in case they are already entangled in the same. Even if they are in great distress, they may dial 1056 DISHA which is the suicide prevention helpline.

Thirdly, all efforts must be made to bring back juvenile delinquents to national mainstream. Skill training schemes have been launched and these need to be explored to improve yourself. Engaging juveniles positively would dry up of recruitment to the underworld which has the potential to create havoc in the country.

Lastly, apart from reacting to crimes in legalistic way, police need to play pro-active leadership role in improving social regulation with the help of religious leaders, teachers and several community organizations.

These steps would certainly ensure that the situation would improve in the days to come.