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Call money fallout: Police Commissioner urges civil society help to check crimes
Perhaps for the first time in the recent past, the city police have invited the civil society to intervene and help them in keeping crime under control. Taking the cue from the sensational call money case that was reported in the city almost a year ago, Police Commissioner Gautam Sawang invited people of all sections in the city to suggest tips on controlling the crime.
Vijayawada: Perhaps for the first time in the recent past, the city police have invited the civil society to intervene and help them in keeping crime under control. Taking the cue from the sensational call money case that was reported in the city almost a year ago, Police Commissioner Gautam Sawang invited people of all sections in the city to suggest tips on controlling the crime.
He also sought the intervention of the civil society in helping the police to check crime and making a city a better place for living. Initiating discussion at the roundtable here on Tuesday, Gautam Sawang said that a woman had approached him alleging how she was being harassed and sexually abused by money lenders in the city.
The case created sensation across the State and police to have spent most of their time to lay their hands on these money lenders indulging in blackmailing and other criminal activities. He said that the police have seized promissory notes, blank cheques, empty papers with signatures and even ATM cards from the money lenders.
He said some of the lenders were also collecting huge rate of interest that was pushing the borrowers into the debt trap. He said the city police have formed teams with women activists, advocates, and counsellors using Alternate Dispute Resolution to look into some of the cases where both the lender and borrower wanted out of court settlement.
In all, police have conducted raids at residences of 176 money lenders and took 51 persons into custody. A total of 1,234 cases have come to the notice of police during the year, he said and added that 441 cases were mediated while 208 cases were referred to the respective police stations. He further said that 55 cases were pending for mediation.
Retired lecturer of Andhra Loyola College Prof M C Das, who conducted the proceedings of the roundtable said that the teams formed under Alternate Dispute Resolution conducted counselling for both the lender and borrower and have settled the cases amicably. He said that the teams comprise leading advocates as members to assist them as per the law of the land.
Former MP Chennupati Vidya, senior journalist Dr Turlapati Kutumba Rao, Siddhartha Academy president Nalluri Venakteswarlu, vice-president M Rajaiah, advocates Sunkara Rajendra Prasad and Cherukuri Sripathi Rao, woman activist P Durgabhavani, senior citizens leader S Venkateswara Rao, representatives of NGOs, traders associations and others spoke.
Several of them wanted the government to have the alternative lending mechanism with the easy and fast delivery that would be of great help for the people. They felt that tough lending conditions with the banks were forcing people to go to the private lenders who were exploiting them. Some of the speakers wanted the government to keep a check on the private money lenders and their activities to prevent them from exploiting people.
