Patna, April 14: Apparently taking a leaf from history, the Patna police have launched an interesting exercise to catch evading criminals. They call it the ‘dugdugi drive’, in which a couple of drum-beaters visit a particular locality and start beating drums in the locality of those criminals against whom a ‘red warrant’ has been issued.
“The aim is to make people of the locality aware of warrants pending against those who have been evading arrest for long. We seek family members as well as neighbours cooperation in absconder’s arrest,” Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Alok Kumar said.
For now, the dugdugi drive set off on Sunday has been launched in the Patna district alone but it will be started in other districts as well.
“It has started bearing results as we succeeded in nabbing altogether 10 absconders from different localities,” the Patna SSP said, adding that altogether 2,000 criminals were listed as long-time absconders in the list.
Under this exercise every police station has been given a target of at least 10 locations to visit and make people aware of the absconding criminals of the area and also to get vital clues about them.
“The drum beaters visit homes of only those eluders against whom the court had issued red warrants or those against whom the arrest warrant has been pending for long,” Alok Kumar said.
He also said that the practice by Patna police would continue until the absconders are not arrested.
According to the police, they have succeeded in nabbing some of the eluders from the localities of Kankerbagh, Paliganj, Kadam Kuan, Jakkanpur, Dulhin Bazar and Phulwarisharief of the district.
Through the dugdugi drive the police also warn the family members as well as neighbours not to protect the evaders anymore against whom the warrant has been issued.
Interestingly, two years ago the Patna municipal authorities too had devised a similarl idea of hiring the services of dancing eunuchs to collect pending municipal taxes from the people of the district.
Under the practice, a group of eunuchs used to visit the residence of those not paying the municipal taxes to the Government for long and embarrass them with their loud dancing and singing practices.
However, after some media hype and coverage the practice fizzled out apparently with no significant return.
In ancient time, the kings used to send drum beaters in certain localities to make people aware of new plans or policies of the regime or of an arrest warrant issued against criminals.
“It’s quite an unthinking strategy on the part of the Patna police,” criminal lawyer of Patna HC Soni Srivastva remarked.
However, the Patna police appear unfazed. “Our officers are on their toes with dugdugi drive in their localities and getting results,” said a Patna police official while making reference of the arrest three long-time absconders from Kadam Kuan locality on the first day of the drive.
“After our dugdugi drive a tea stall owner tipped us off about three absconders — Shankar Sao, Manoj Sao and Phulkia Devi — evading arrest for the last five years in an attempt to murder case and we managed to arrest them soon,” said Patna town Dy SP Ramakant.
——-Agencies