City turning into global crime hub

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 25

With the recent arrests of over 12 foreign nationals as drug peddlers associated with various international syndicates from the city and also a suspected ISIS militant Ghazi Baba from the Basti area in Jalandhar by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) have shaken security agencies in the region.

Jalandhar known to be a hub of education with over five prominent universities in the region has now been seen as an “epicentre to plan anti-national activities” in the region.

Why only Jalandhar? According to a senior police officer, the region has become the most sought-after place for criminal activities due to the presence of a maximum number of youths in the region.

“Whether they want to rope them in drug peddling or to carry out some terrorist attack, youths from various countries are readily available here. The youths, especially from African countries, are their prime target due to their extreme financial condition. They come here to study and also get involved in drug peddling to bear the expenses of their education,” said the official.

The reason seems justified as a majority of the foreign nationals arrested in drug peddling cases were students and also residents of the Rama Mandi area and Deep Nagar having close proximity to a reputed university in the region.

Also, Jalandhar being an NRI hub has NRIs in every second house. The NRIs keeps on sending heavy remittance to their families back home and their unemployed youths waiting long to get their visas to any of the foreign shores seems no harm to earn quick bucks by doing temporary investments into the deadly business of drugs.

No details of missing students

Another major loophole detected by Jalandhar Tribune during investigations was that the Ministry of External Affairs though seeks information from the police about any foreign national reporting at the university; it never sought details of students who went missing within a few days or months of joining the course.

According to Police Commissioner Praveen Sinha, he has recently sought details from various universities about the foreign students who had gone ‘missing’ for the past two years.

Sources revealed that the MEA had sent a list of around 12 students who though landed in the country to study in a private university in Phagwara, they did not report there and also have not made an exit from the country till date.

However, taking a step further to curb the danger, the Police Department on Monday issued directions to people to get their tenants and servants verified from the nearest police station within seven days. Those who would not adhere to do so will be liable for punishment under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Move on anti-terror squad hailed

Senior officials have also welcomed Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s decision for giving his go ahead to set up an anti-terror squad, as part of the Intelligence Wing, to break the nexus flourishing between militants and gangsters in the state’s prisons.

His government, which has already cracked down on terrorists and gangsters in a big way, is also mulling an effective law, such as the Punjab Control of Organised Criminals Act (PCOCA), to deal effectively with the terror spread by organised criminal gangs, most of which have been operating in the state for the past five to seven years with strong political patronage.

Sources have revealed that looking at the surge of anti-national activities here in Jalandhar for the past few months, an ATS branch has already been sanctioned for Jalandhar.

Foreign students soft target

Jalandhar known to be a hub of education with over five prominent universities in the region has now been seen as an epicentre to plan “anti-national activities” in the region. Why only Jalandhar? According to a senior police officer, the region has become the most sought-after place for criminal activities due to the presence of a large number of youths from foreign countries.