Ghaziabad: A special verification drive for criminals was carried out on Tuesday in the police stations of Khoda, Sahibabad, and Loni. Under the "Operation Clean" campaign being conducted by the city police, a three-day drive was started on Monday, with around 1,700 criminal checks completed by Tuesday evening.
Background of the Drive
The drive was initiated after a 17-year-old youth was stabbed to death by a group of people in Khoda. The prime accused, Asad, was killed by police during an encounter, while three people were arrested. The fifth accused remains at large.
Details of Verification in Sahibabad
In Sahibabad, a total of 50 criminals were verified on Tuesday. After self-verification, all criminals were administered an oath not to commit any kind of crime in the future and to stay away from illegal activities. Criminals were seen holding a paper on which they wrote, "Mujhe maaf karen, ab main crime nahi karta aur na bhavishya mein karunga (Forgive me, I no longer commit crimes and will not do so in the future)."
Statement from Police Officials
City and Trans-Hindon DCP Dhawal Jaiswal said that the objective of the campaign was to control crime in the area, maintain and strengthen law and order, and ensure effective surveillance of individuals with criminal tendencies.
"The verification was conducted of criminals registered at Thana Sahibabad in cases of robbery, murder, snatching, and history-sheeters. The criminals were summoned to the police station premises, where their current place of residence, employment, activities, Aadhaar card, bank details, and other necessary details were verified. The current activities of criminals previously involved in crimes against persons and property were reviewed, and effective surveillance over them was ensured. All verified criminals were warned that if found involved in any kind of criminal or illegal activity in the future, strict legal action would be taken against them," the DCP said, adding, "From Khoda and Sahibabad area, more than 600 criminal verifications were completed so far, and the remaining will take place on Wednesday."
Verification in Loni
In Loni, a total of 1,080 criminals were verified. Additional CP Keshav Kumar Choudhary and DCP Rural Surendra Nath Tiwari took charge on Tuesday. Tiwari said that on Monday, 372 criminals were verified, while on Tuesday, 708 verifications were completed.
Testimonial from a Reformed Criminal
Vivek Pal, a criminal who came for verification at Sahibabad police station, said that he was arrested in a snatching case. Three years ago, he was released from jail. He also lost his father, and after that, he is the only breadwinner in the family, now earning money by driving an e-rickshaw.
"Bure kaam ka bura nateeja hota hai (Bad conduct has its consequences), and this thing I learned after I lost my father. I will never do any kind of crime as I have responsibility towards my family and now I have children as well," he said.
