Shristy Kamal, Pune
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is set to create a comprehensive database of gangsters who operate out of prison and their associates to strengthen the nation’s information network against organized crime. Current data on the offenders, their financial ties, social media activity, and important operational areas will all be included in this database.
The meeting was held at the Delhi Police headquarters where officers from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan were present. The database will be available to all the states who are participating in it and they will also be able to update it on a regular basis. The decision was taken to make it easier for the police to track criminals and their network across several states. States like Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab will be initially covered followed by an extension to Maharastra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Informations like biometrics, recent pictures, reports of interrogation, etc will be uploaded to the database.
The NIA’s top official stressed that in order to destroy the operational ecosystem of organized crime, it is necessary to target their social media managers and recruiters who supply weapons and funding sources. Several officers discussed the difficulties they encounter when looking into crimes involving organized gangs pointing out that they frequently dont have up-to-date information on the associates or social media IDs of the criminals. Additionally, fake document providers and those involved in issuing fake passports were also highlighted as important targets.
A senior officer of the Haryana Special Task Force (STF) expressed concerns regarding the increasing use of encrypted apps, VPNs, and “dabba calls” by foreign-based gangsters for extortion. He also emphasized the challenges in acquiring information from social media sites and service providers. Dabba calls are made by a mob boss’s goon using two phones: one for online threats and another for loudspeaker communication with their boss abroad.
An official from Delhi Police suggested that any criminal who engages in such activities should be charged under laws like Prevention of money laundering act (PMLA) and Maharashtra control of organized crime (MCOC).