Police defend raids, say acted by rule of law

AALO, May 5: The allegations of “police excesses” made against the West Siang district police by Liromoba-based Intellectual Support Group (ISG) are “false, concocted and without any substance,” said the PRO of West Siang police in a release on Sunday.
The ISG had on Saturday alleged that police personnel indulged in “excesses” while conducting midnight raids in two villages in the district, saying that on the intervening night of 1 and 2 May, at least a dozen masked police personnel raided and searched several houses in Laggi Gamlin village without identifying themselves and without showing a search warrant.
The PRO clarified that “keeping in view the investigation, many details of the case cannot be shared at this juncture.”
However, the district police provided some information about the progress of the investigation so far, in public interest.
The police said they had received a written complaint on 25 March from one Bajum Bogo of Kunu-Yami village, informing that a mob of unknown miscreants assaulted him and robbed Rs 60 lakhs and his personal belongings from his possession while he was in his room at the Hotel Min Ta in Aalo, and that a case was registered, vide Aalo PS Case No 23/19, U/S 452/395/323/34 IPC, in this connection.
“The police arrested three persons within three days in the case, and the interrogation of the arrested persons revealed the involvement of more persons in the dacoity,” the PRO said.
“Most of the suspects in the case belong to two villages, namely, Tego Gamlin and Laggi Gamlin. In this connection, two raids were conducted in Laggi Gamlin village by the local police. On 7 April, at around noon, the first visit of the investigation team took place in search of the prime suspect. The suspect could not be found in the village. However, it was later revealed that the accused persons escaped into the jungle area at the sight of the police vehicle.”
The PRO said the second raid was conducted in the night of 1 May, and the “investigation team visited only one house, which happens to be that of the prime suspect.” The PRO said the police team was “in proper uniforms emblazoned with their name plates and ranks as per procedure.”
“Since the team was in receipt of a tip-off regarding the presence of a suspect of the dacoity case in the village, it reached the village and entered the house strictly as per the provisions of the CrPC. Sharing of information with the village members would have compromised the attempt and the efforts behind it.
“Moreover, revealing the names of the suspects and other case details is not desirable as per the investigation point of view. And also, in the instant case, the police was duty-bound, on receipt of intelligence input, to enter the premises and cause arrest without an arrest warrant,” the PRO said.
The police respect the rights of all citizens equally, the release said, and requested the people to cooperate with the police in solving such “heinous cases.”
“The police do not differentiate an accused on the basis of caste, creed or political affiliation. Police action is legal, bonafide, and as per due procedure, and it is open to scrutiny by any leading court. The police are making sincere efforts to unearth the conspiracy behind the dacoity and arrest all the culprits,” the PRO added.