Dmp Police says crackdown on extortion has increased over the past three years

(From Left to Right) DCP Zone II, Aotula T Imchen; DCP Zone I, Naieem Mustafa Mansury; Dimapur Police Commissioner, Limasunep Jamir; and ADCP (Crime) & PRO, Dimapur Police, Relo T Aye during a press conference on September 24. (Morung Photo)

Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 24

Police inaction to curb a pervasive culture of extra-constitutional taxation orchestrated by the Naga Political Groups and transports unions on transporters and businesses alike in Dimapur has been the contemporary narrative. This narrative gained greater impetus during the recent campaign of the Public Action Committee of the Naga Council, Dimapur to check illegal monetary collection at the government check-posts in Dimapur, while placing the Nagaland Police under further public scrutiny as a law enforcement agency. 

On the contrary, official data of crime in Dimapur point to an increased incidence of police crackdown, especially pertaining to extortion. 

The Commissioner of Police, Dimapur Limasunep Jamir told a press conference today that over the past 2-3 years the police have done quite well when it came to combating extortion in the city.

According to Jamir, the district police have investigated as many as 109 cases of extortion since January till date this year. He said that as many as 157 persons have been arrested and charges filed against the accused so far. 

Citing extortion-related figures from the two preceding years, he said that 137 cases were registered and investigated in 2018 and 207 persons arrested in connection to the cases. In 2017, a total of 92 cases were registered and arrested as many as 139 persons.  

The cash recovered in connection to the cases stood at Rs 1.42 lakhs in 2017, Rs 9.05 lakhs in 2018 and 17.51 lakhs till date this year. Weapons confiscated, included rifles and small arms. 

“And more than 90 percent of the cases were registered suo moto,” he added. The arrests were affected mostly by the Special Operations Team and the two Anti-Extortion Teams of the Commissionerate’s two zones besides other support units including the Dimapur Commissionerate Special Branch, Mobile Units, NAP (IR) foot patrol and the newly commissioned E-patrol.  

In addition, he said that the Dimapur police is in constant touch with the neighbouring Karbi-Anglong police in Assam for coordinated operations along the inter-state border.

   
He pointed out that many functionaries of the various NPGs, including “card holders” are “blatantly operating (extortion networks) under the garb of the Ceasefire Ground Rules.” 

“The degeneration into abject criminality is evident and the matter shall be raised appropriately with the Police Headquarters and the Ceasefire Monitoring Group.” 

He also raised concern over increased instances of civilians fronting as NPG cadres committing acts of extortion or at the behest of NPGs. 

Supplementing the CP’s concern, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) and PRO of the Dimapur police Relo T Aye stated that “regular cadres” have become quite cautious and using civilians to act on their behalf.   

The observation was based on figures which indicated that civilians outnumbered actual cadres when it came to the number of people arrested for extortion. Of the 157 persons arrested so far this year, 95 persons were said to be civilians. In 2018 and 2017, the number of civilians arrested for extortion was 134 and 78, respectively.  

Another trend observed, as per the ADCP, has been that of a person or a group of persons “collecting (illegal tax) on behalf of the different NPGs.”

While maintaining that the police are ever willing to receive any complaints, he said that heightened surveillance has been affected with CCTVs mounted in strategic locations of the city. 

According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Aotula T Imchen, one of the main challenges confronting the police has been a lack of witnesses to aid prosecution. “Police face the problem of no witnesses. We welcome citizens to come forward with information. We really need independent witnesses.” 

Her Zone I counterpart DCP Naieem Mustafa Mansury said that on most occasions it has been the police registering cases suo moto as the victims choose not to report. 

CP Jamir while appreciating the concern of the PAC and the civil society on the menace of illegal taxation, expressed confidence that the public will “continuously adhere to the rule of law.” He added that “heightened vigilantism” has its drawbacks and as such appealed the “civil society and all stakeholders” to be mindful “of the reasonable restrictions of constitutional and statutory laws.”