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Our Correspondent
Kohima, June 26 (EMN): Nagaland Police on Friday put up a tough front and listed the number of arrests made in cases involving members of various armed Naga groups in the past five years.
According Nagaland Police data, it has arrested 1238 persons and registered cases against 893 persons belonging to various Naga groups in this period.
Informing this at a news conference held at Nagaland Police Headquarters (PHQ) in Kohima on Friday, IGP (Range) Limasunep Jamir said that the arrests and case registrations were in relation to various crimes committed, including violation of the Arms Act, Explosives Acts, murder, offence against the state, abduction and kidnapping for ransom, UA (P) Act, Nagaland Security Regulation Act, and extortion and robbery.
Out of the total cases registered against various groups, ‘extortion is the largest and the major bulk of it,’ Jamir pointed out.
In Dimapur alone, 507 extortion cases have been registered and Dimapur Police has arrested 723 extortionists in the last five years. In Kohima, more than 105 cases have been registered and about 126 extortionists arrested, he said.
Jamir informed about some of the latest arrests made in Kohima and Dimapur. From June 1, SP Kohima and his team has conducted multiple operations, based on intelligence inputs, about the movement of some of the NSCN-(K-YA) cadres.
Accordingly, the Kohima Police arrested some “hardcore extortionists” on June 11, June 16, June 17, and June 23 respectively, including the recent incident where an extortionist was shot dead in a scuffle with the police.
In Dimapur, more than nine arrests have been made in the last one week, he said. On June 24, a joint operation was conducted by Assam Rifles and Nagaland Police, and four members of NSCN (K) were arrested, he said.
According to Jamir, extortion in Nagaland has “got a lot of attention from various authorities”.
“Nagaland Police assures citizens that it is our mandated duty to carry out anti-extortion drive relentlessly, irrespective of various UG groups, over-ground sympathisers or anti-social elements who masquerade themselves as various UG groups,” he said.
Jamir, while highlighting some of the issues faced by the department, informed that more than 95% of extortion cases are registered “suo-motu” by the police.
“There are no formal complaints lodged by the aggrieved party against the extortionist(s) and it is only because of the initiative and pro-activeness of the police and the security forces, that maximum of the extortion cases have been registered and arrest made,” he stated.
“It stabs the heart of the criminal justice system that victims of crime and extortions do not find it part of their duty and responsibility to file a formal complaint in a police station and share the facts and circumstances of crime,” Jamir added.
He asserted that if a person comes forward with complaint and details like their number or other technical details of the person who has threatened him, it becomes easier for the police to apprehend the criminals, citing that if there is formal complaint, the case is strengthened because the FIR has substance, and if it is suo-motu, the court may have certain suspicions against the police.
He also shared that it encourages and emboldens the criminals when the victims become compliant, and submit to such illegal demands without reporting the matter to the police.
“As a matter of caution, it is pointed out that submission to such illegal demands by various UGs, notwithstanding any justification, can be harmful for the person who pays extortion because it can leave a trail of terror funding, offence against the state, abetment to criminal offence, and many other provisions of law as has happened in the past, invoking the attention of national investigation agency,” Jamir warned.
“Nagaland Police is very forthcoming of complaints and if a person comes forward to a police station and file complaints, we will definitely take action. And there are enough supervising officers to ensure that such actions are taken,” Jamir asserted.
“It is only on the basis of active, participative and responsible community and citizenry, crime can be prioritised and rooted out from society,” he said.
The officer also informed that Nagaland Police has Facebook and Twitter accounts where citizens can post any complaint; and the WhatsApp number at PHQ would also be monitored by a team of officers headed by SP (Crime).
“The confidentiality of all persons shall be maintained, if so desired,” he said.