Jharkhand Police Intensifies Operations Against Organised Crime Groups: Successes in Encounters and Arrests

Ranchi: With extremism being limited to the Saranda area and a few pockets in the state, Jharkhand police have now intensified operations against the organised crime groups, leading to encounters and arrests of gang members involved in killings, firing and extorting money from people of various sections of society.Notably, police raids against the criminals have led to four encounters across the state in the last five days. On Sunday, five notorious criminals, including three of the Sujit Sinha gang and two of the Alok group, were nabbed after separate encounters under Tupudana and the Mccluskeigunj police station limits in Ranchi district. Two of them were injured in the gunfights.Last Friday, four members of the Rahul Dubey gang were also nabbed after an encounter in the Hocchar area of Ratu police station in Ranchi.

Two of the criminals were injured in police firing. One criminal was also arrested after an encounter in the Tetulmari area of Dhanbad district on Monday.Speaking on the issue, inspector general (operations) Michael Raj said, “We are in a transition phase due to a decline in extremism. Our focal point is now shifting to urban policing, which also involves curbing organised crime groups. We have intensified operations against gangsters and their accomplices, leading to an increase in encounters as well.”

Raj had earlier informed media persons that the notorious gangster Prince Khan, involved in several extortion calls to traders of the state, is hiding in a foreign country and steps were being taken to arrest and extradite him.He informed that in a first for the state, gangster Sunil Singh Mena was extradited from Azerbaijan on August 22 this year.IG (South Chhotanagpur) Manoj Kaushik, who is also in charge of the CID, added, “We will leave no space for the gangsters while taking legal action or chasing them.

The CID will ensure that the organised crime members are prosecuted in courts.”Ranchi SSP Rakesh Ranjan also said, “The encounters have taken place mainly when the criminals fired at police with an intention to escape. Police had to retaliate in self-defence, during which a few criminals were injured.” Police have also issued an appeal to the people to report extortion demands from criminals and said the identity of such people, revealing the extortion demands, would be kept a secret.According to Raj, state forces have eliminated as many as 32 extremists in encounters from January to September this year. During this same time, as many as 266 Maoists have been arrested, and 30 have surrendered before security forces, he added.