JAMMU: The premature transfer of Station House Officer Bagh e Bahu police station amid ongoing investigation pertaining to bust of a sex-drug racket involving one influential POCSO accused woman has evoked sharp criticism from the residents of Qasim Nagar.
Lambasting the move of SSP Jammu, Chandan Kohli well meaning critics while expressing their resentment over the transfer of incumbent SHO Inspector Surinder Raina,who recently had taken initial steps to curb the sprawling menace of prostitution as well as alarming drug peddling in the area, told JK Global News, “The move of SSP Jammu to transfer SHO Bagh e Bahu under the garb of reshuffling has boosted the morale of wrong doers in Bahu fort area who brag of close proximity with higher ups in the system”.
They further said “The untimely transfer of SHO who was handling a sensitive investigation regarding the exploitation of a minor girl at a brothel is a well thought out plan to scuttle the investigation with a design to save the influential rapists besides weakening the case against arrested POCSO accused Swarna and her team of pimps”.
Insiders in police alleged that Swarna used to supply the rescued girl to many influential persons who raped the victim for almost one and half month. Even, the police is under pressure to save the hoteliers where the minor girl was taken for coerced prostitution. Inspector Raina joined Bagh e Bahu police station as SHO on Feb 1, 2023 and was transferred within a short span of 50 days. Wonderful policing skills.
Allegations are also doing the rounds that one constable posted at Bagh e Bahu Police station was trying to get the matter hushed up at the behest of a property dealer of Vijaypur who used to make available minor girls to influential persons through Swarna and deal for the same is underway.
“This constable has assured the POCSO accused that she would shortly wriggle out of judicial custody”, alleged reliable sources. This is the main reason that till date the police have failed to arrest the fourth accused namely Sanju, a pimp who used to ferry the minor girls from Swarna’s brothel to several clients as well as hotels in a Eco sport car, added sources.
The accused woman was openly running flesh trade besides drug racket from her den of shame for the last 2 decades with impunity but the officer who tried to lay his hands upon the culprit was shifted in an unimaginable hurry and what were the compelling reasons for the same has yet to be fully decoded, says Shabnam Nahid.
Pertinent to mention here that on March 8, the Bagh e Bahu police had unearthed a flesh cum drug trade racket at Qasim Nagar leading to the rescue of a minor girl. On the startling revelations made by the minor girl, the police booked the arrested Swarna under stringent POCSO Act and notified her as History sheeter.
Though in past the residents on many counts had apprised the police about the anti social activities of Swarna yet she managed to find an escape route bragging of her deep connect with cops.
“My apprehensions about the clout of Swarna have come true as the matter was also brought to the notice of incumbent DIG Jammu-Kathua range. Despite his honest intentions, not much headway in this sex scandal is visible on the ground. This is bad state of affairs and the matter needs LG’s intervention”, avers Prof. SK Bhalla.
To seek response of SSP Jammu, Chandan Kohli, JK Global News rang him twice but as usual he preferred discreet silence.