-SATISH HANDA

Abhishek Jorwal SP Ambala while addressing media persons said that like all over in Haryana state, efforts were made to make Ambala district situated at the junction of several states drugs-free under ‘Operation Prahaar’ campaign launched by the police in year 2019. He said, Ambala police busted several gangs involved in smuggling and supplying drugs to neighbouring states during the year able to seize double quantity of drugs as compared to previous year and arrested 170 drug smugglers in 126 cases registered under NDPS Act by various police stations in the district during police raids as compared to 105 cases registered by the police in the year 2018 in which 123 drug smugglers were arrested. Jorwal disclosed that police recovered 1kg 650 gm opium, 8 kg 500 gm opium plants, 2 kg charas, 10 quintal 350 kg poppy husk, 348 gm smack, 24 kg 675 gm ‘ganja’, 842 gm ‘sulpha’, 1 kg 249 gm   heroine and brown sugar, 59385 intoxicated capsules, 6198 intoxicated tablets and 2384 bottles intoxicated syrups.

According to police record, 2 lakh 57 thousand 435 bottles illicit liquor of value worth crores of rupees was recovered by district police during year 2019, which include 1 lakh 40thousand 277 bottles ‘Desi’ liquor, 1 lakh15 thousand 835 bottles  English wine and 1341 bottles beer. Police arrested 102 persons in 75 cases registered under 61 Excise Act and some of them were influential persons having political shelter. Information reveals, illicit liquor was found sold at general merchandise shops in rural as well as in urban areas, ‘Rehris’ selling eatables and door-to-door supply in retail. Information also reveals that nearly 61 accused arrested by the police selling illicit liquor failed to remit amount of fine on them. District Excise & Taxation Department seized about 28576 bottles illicit liquor from smugglers during year 2019 to be destroyed. According to information, there are nearly 240 authorized liquor vends in Ambala district having approximately demand for nearly 42 lakh proof litre Desi liquor and 23 lakh proof English wine, besides huge quantity of illicit liquor being sold by the smugglers illegally.

‘Satta’ and gambling business, too, was on peak in twin city Ambala during year 2019 in which police rounded 733 persons, registered 623 cases during the year and recovered Rs 11,11,876 from them.  Ambala police arrested 49 persons carrying unlicensed weapons in the district and registered 43 cases under Arms Act during year 2019, which include 15 cases registered by the police at Ambala Cantt, six cases registered at Ambala City, four cases registered at Shazadpur and three cases registered at Naraingarh in the district in which police recovered 22 ‘Desi’ pistols, , 19 branded pistols/ revolvers, three sharp-edged weapons and 116 live cartridges.

Record numbers of snatching cases were registered in twin city Ambala during the year 2019 in which over 94 cases including 71 cases registered under section 379-A IPC and 23 snatching cases registered under section 379-B IPC snatching purse or gold chains from females were registered by the police, which failed to arrest most of accuse. According to police data, out of total number of snatching cases registered by the police files of 14 untraced cases were closed down, unidentified snatchers in 18 cases are yet absconding and police remained unsuccessful to find any clue about them, police during investigation detected three cases untrue and according to information in large number of snatching cases the complaints were not lodged with the police by victims,

According to Abhishek Jorwal SP, although police arrested 956 persons involved in criminal cases during the year 2019, there is yet a challenge before police to solve large number of criminal cases and arrest accused. He disclosed that 56 persons were arrested in 60 cases registered against those involved in cases related to sexual molestation and raping minor females. He told Women Police Station in the district registered 1146 cases in the year 2019, which included 129 persons arrested allegedly dowry demand and 1052 cases were solved mutually with police effort.

Meanwhile, Anil Vij Cabinet Minister for Home has directed SPs of 13 districts Gurugram, Faridabad, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat,  Sonepat, Hisar, Sirsa, Jind, Fatehbad, Rohtak and Bhiwani in Haryana state having more than a thousand pending cases dumped in files without action for over a year to submit a detailed report on such cases in 15 days. Information reveals, 29,387 cases are registered in police stations in the state on which investigation is going on, of them 1139 cases are lying unsolved since more than two years. Similarly 2484 cases are lying under investigation since past over a year and 3475 cases are hanging in files unsolved since past six months in the state.