Palamu police intensify anti-crime checking across district
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK Daltonganj, October 3: Palamu Police intensified anti-crime checking across the district on Friday, checking 792 vehicles at 12…
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, October 3: Palamu Police intensified anti-crime checking across the district on Friday, checking 792 vehicles at 12 strategic locations during a two-hour drive aimed at curbing the movement of illicit liquor, illegal arms and ammunition, drugs and other criminal activities.
The checking drive, conducted from 11 am to 1 pm, is part of the police’s wider Operation Prahar and Operation Safaya initiatives targeting crime, drugs and illicit arms and ammunition.
According to police sources, two-wheelers accounted for more than half of the vehicles checked. A total of 501 two-wheelers were stopped and checked, while 291 four-wheelers were inspected during Friday’s drive.
SDPO Sadar Rajesh Yadav said the checking was being conducted on the instructions of SP Kapil Chaudhary, while ensuring that commuters were not subjected to unnecessary inconvenience.
He said vehicles carrying women and children were not subjected to rigorous checking, keeping the comfort of women passengers in mind.
Police sources said checking drives are conducted at different times during the day and night, including before lunch and before midnight. However, the police generally avoid the period when school buses return to prevent traffic congestion and disruption.
Focus on Drugs, Arms and Trafficking
The anti-crime checking focuses on the movement of illicit liquor, illegal arms and ammunition, opioids and other drugs, human trafficking and other criminal activities.
Police sources said a vehicle generally takes around four minutes to pass through the checking process.
The district police also rely on motorists’ cooperation during the drives. A police officer involved in the checking said many motorists voluntarily stop and allow officers to inspect their vehicles.
Palamu district, which has RTO code JH-03, has more than 50,000 registered vehicles, according to police sources, apart from older vehicles carrying the erstwhile Bihar registration code BR-15.
Civil Society Seeks Wider Checking Network
Some civil society members have suggested expanding the scope of anti-crime checking beyond major roads and highways.
Civil society activist Ravindra Kumar said criminals could use arterial routes as well as rural unpaved roads to transport illicit liquor and weapons.
He also pointed to the river routes in Hussainabad subdivision, where the Koyel and Sone rivers connect Palamu with Bihar, and suggested that such routes should also be brought under the checking mechanism.
Sources in the Road Construction Department (RCD) said Palamu has more than 1,560 km of roads under three categories—NHAI, RCD and the Rural Works Department.
Police sources said the timing and intensity of vehicle checking vary depending on factors such as the speed of vehicles and the behaviour of their occupants.
The anti-crime checking campaign is continuing across Palamu as police seek to strengthen surveillance on roads and prevent the movement of illegal substances, weapons and other contraband.
