When it comes to crime in the city, none can beat the reportage of Crime Patrol on Sony which brings alive all shocking cases. This weekend, it is the eight-month-old Shakti Mills gangrape case wherein a photo journalist was raped by four men that will be showcased.
Talking about the experience shooting for this episode, anchor Anoop Soni says: “This has been one of the most painful episodes for me to host. Everytime I would reach the sets, I got goosebumps just thinking about the pain the girl and her family must have been put through. It is shameful that we don’t have a concrete law against such heinous crimes in India. Although I am happy that in this gangrape, IPC 376E was followed and a verdict given against the rapists. Three of the accused have been awarded death sentence while the fourth gets life imprisonment. A lot of new sections have been introduced and followed post the shocking Nirbhaya gangrape case in New Delhi. We’ll be talking about all the legal and police issues that plays an important role in giving justice to the girl in this episode,” he adds.
Soni has been associated with this show for the past four years and he believes that due to Crime Patrol people have become more aware of their surroundings. “It has impacted many lives in a positive way. Don’t think CP is just about the crime in society. It teaches us something as well,” he states.
Although people are more informed about crime and criminals, Soni agrees that a lot still needs to be done to bring down the crime rate. “There is an urgent need to make people about their rights and policies that they can avail of if they have been harmed. Also, the approach of police and legal authorities needs to change in dealing with such cases. It’s pathetic that crimes like rape in metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata have risen manifold. The most important thing is to bring a change in the mindset of the people towards women,” Soni tells you.
But has he changed ever since CP happened to himIJ “It’s not possible to not take crime stories home. But I have changed my outlook towards things. I have become much more sensitive to society. I have also started observing things around me and if I find something amiss, I don’t mind doing a little bit of detective work myself.
Sometimes they turn out to be funny. But I don’t allow that to affect me in any way. A few months earlier, I was at a resort and I saw a few girls dressed in a suspicious manner, clicking pictures of a barren tree. I found that to be a little strange and immediately brought this to the notice of the manager. He told me that they were staff from that very resort,” Soni recalls.