Doaba region most notorious for cases against NRIs

On the run

--As many as 754 proclaimed offender NRIs wanted by Punjab Police in various crimes

--In the Doaba region alone, a total of 310 NRIs have been declared proclaimed offenders.

--Out of these, 274 NRIs are wanted by the Jalandhar Commissionerate (77) and Jalandhar rural police (197) alone, followed by 13 by Kapurthala police, 15 by Hoshiarpur police and eight by the Nawanshahr police.

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 17

The maximum number of cases related to non-resident Indians (NRIs) wanted by the Punjab Police have been registered in the Doaba region. Further, in this belt, the Jalandhar rural police have declared the maximum number of NRIs as proclaimed offenders (POs).

Sources confirmed that in the beginning of last year, as many as 843 NRIs had been declared POs by the Punjab Police but in the revised list, the names of 89 of them were deleted due to death, arrest or quashing of FIRs. The latest figure is 754.

Although NRIs from over a dozen countries are wanted by the Punjab Police, most of the NRI offenders have taken shelter in Canada, followed by the UK, the USA, Germany, Italy, Dubai, New Zealand, Greece etc.

In the Doaba region alone, a total of 310 NRIs have been declared proclaimed offenders. Out of these, 274 NRIs are wanted by the Jalandhar Commissionerate (77) and Jalandhar rural police (197) alone, followed by 13 by Kapurthala police, 15 by Hoshiarpur police and eight by the Nawanshahr police.

Notably, most of the NRIs were declared POs in the state in cases related to sham marriages and matrimonial frauds (164), followed by other cheating and fraud cases (170) and heinous crimes like murder, attempt to murder (139).

Many NRIs have been evading arrest for over three decades. The state police records shows NRIs were declared POs in cases registered way back in 1969.

Besides the Doaba region, as many as 123 NRIs are wanted by the Moga police, 53 by the Ludhiana police, 25 by the Faridkot police, 23 by the Khanna police, 22 by the Amritsar police 19 by the Bathinda police. Notably, in Pathankot, Patiala and Fazilka, there is not even a single NRI who has been declared PO.

When asked, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said all such cases of NRIs declared POs would be reinvestigated and reviewed to find if any fake cases were registered.