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'Theekri pehra' reduces theft, drug peddling cases to zero in 5 Kartarpur villages

The number of thefts have been reduced to zero in five villages of Kartarpur after five panchayats decided to take up cudgels against drugs and thefts just a fortnight ago. The resolution of five panchayats to reduce thefts and...
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Members of five villages of Kartarpur during a theekri pehra at Dyalpur in Jalandhar.
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The number of thefts have been reduced to zero in five villages of Kartarpur after five panchayats decided to take up cudgels against drugs and thefts just a fortnight ago.

The resolution of five panchayats to reduce thefts and curb the entries of "nasheris" (drug users) in their villages has yielded dividends. Men with a stolen bikes, syringes, 'chitta' (heroin) and foil papers have been stopped at nakas held by alert villagers. With the entry of these elements prohibited in the villages, crime has reduced, say villagers.

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Prompted by rampant theft and drugs abuse by "outsiders" in and around their villages, panchayats of five Kartarpur villages - Dayalpur, Kudowal, Dhirpur, Bheekha Nangal and Mallian village - had decided to hold theekri pehras (night watches) and formed a committee to take decisions regarding the same on January 11 this year.

Within a fortnight of the decision, the villages are setting an example in community policing - which even the police are taking note of.

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Less than a week ago, the villagers caught three riders with a stolen bike and a small amount of chitta, at one of the nakas. The offenders were handed over the Kartarpur police. The other day, villagers apprehended two men with syringes.

Village heads say in the past fortnight, the nakas have led to about 100 to 150 men being apprehended and stopped from entering villages.

Harjinder Singh Raja, Sapranch, Dayalpur villages said, "We have caught about 100 to 150 men. Most of these were drug users. Some of them trickle into neighbouring villages. Three youths were apprehended with a stolen bike a few days ago. They also possessed chitta. Two more youths were caught with syringes the other day. Where police action is required, villagers promptly hand them over to the police. In other cases, they send them back after warnings. The main idea is to ensure they do not trouble villagers. No thefts have been reported in our villages as a result."

Harjinder says other villages have also begun calling them, keen to emulate the initiative.

Tejinder Singh, sarpanch, Kudowal, says, "Nakas are held as per decisions in the mahapanchyat by the five villages. After the villages' decision, police patrol on the Jammu-Katra highway, which was also giving us a lot of trouble, has also been made more stringent."

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