The horrific killing of an 18-year-old man by a minor boy in northeast Delhi’s Welcome area was not an isolated incident, but every now then, the city gets shaken up by a crime committed ‘not’ by a seasoned criminal but by a minor.
A few months back, a 36-year-old man, who worked as a senior manager in Amazon, was shot dead by a juvenile, while his uncle narrowly escaped death with agunshot injury on his head. The crime was not the fallout of any personal enmity but an impulsive act of an 18-year-old gangster Mohd Sameer alias Maya, to assert his dominance in the area. Both the cases were reported from the northeast district of Delhi, a communally sensitive area. To delve deeper into the issue, Ujwal Jalali speaks to Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey. Excerpts:
Have you noticed any rise in the involvement of minors in crimes?
Yes, there has been an increase in the involvement of juveniles in the crimes in the northeast district. To tackle this, we intervening at multiple levels -- first, we are trying to form a bond between people of different communities. We are also trying to break the supply chain of the drug network so that it doesn’t reach the youngsters. Since our district is located at the border, infiltration of illegal weapons is more. We constantly keep a watch to prevent youngsters from falling into the trap of hardened criminals. Also, we regularly monitor social media accounts and have set up several police-public libraries to encourage children utilise their free time constructively..
As you said northeast Delhi border touches neighbouring Ghaziabad. So how are you tackling infiltration of drugs and arms?
We have six major border pickets at Loni Border, Meet Nagar, Sabha Pur Check Post (Toll Tax Pusta), Chauhan Patti, Bhopura Check Post, DLF, Nand Nagri and Mandoli, Sewa Dham Road. For the major border pickets, we have 24 X 7 picket checking of suspect vehicles and persons. We do integrated checking along with traffic and PCR vans, intermittently. At minor motorable roads, surprise checks are conducted at vulnerable hours, especially during evenings. We follow up all drugs and weapon recovery in our cases and investigate forward and backward linkages – in Delhi and surrounding states, including UP, Haryana and Rajasthan. Surveillance on criminals, both physical and technical, has been mounted to control drug peddling and possession of illegal arms.
The northeast district has always been in news be it for 2020 communal clashes or other major crimes. How do you see these?
I am not new to northeast district as I was posted here as the DCP but before that I served the Crime Branch for 14 years. Since 2020 riots, we have been closely associated with the northeast district. I had handled several cases of riots which were being probed by SIT of the Crime Branch and still that SIT is with me. If there is one area in Delhi which needs actual ground level policing, then it is this. The presence of police on ground is of utmost importance. Not only northeast district is prone to crime but is also a communally sensitive area. The cases of communal clashes were registered in 12 of the 14 police stations of the district.
How have you geared up the security for New Year celebrations
There has been a sea change in people’s attitude as they are far more receptive now. We have a grievance redressal system to ensure that every complaint is followed up till last. Ahead of the festivals, foolproof security arrangements are put in place. We also try to build fraternity among the two communities. Whether it is Diwali, Eid, or Kanwar yatra, we hold meetings and try to get everybody on board so that the festival passes off peacefully. This time also, our staff has increased its presence, especially at crowded places to prevent any untoward incident.