Following deployment of police station sub-inspectors and constables for resolving traffic congestion after completing investigations on registered complaints, police are unable to strengthen their network of informers which has led to failure in solving murder cases. Murder cases have increased in the State, of which about 50 per cent are not solved due to weak network of informers.
In Haridwar district, the police have failed to solve two murder cases reported in the last one month, while the Dehradun Police has failed to solve high profile murder cases of two women —Neeru Saini under Dalanwala Police Station and 70-year-old woman Rajesh Sharma who was a relative of IG Ram Singh Meena under Patelnagar Police Station.
Due to weak network of informers, police have neither found concrete lead from questioning suspects nor ascertained the motive for these murders. Moreover Dehradun police are yet to make any breakthrough in the case of the naked headless body of a woman found a kilometre away from Raj Bhawan and Chief Minister’s residence last year.
Uttarakhand Additional Director General of Police Ram Singh Meena expressed disappointment at district police failure to solve recent murder cases in Haridwar and Dehradun. He opined that police station sub-inspectors and constables are overburdened with works due to increase in cases in police stations. Police are not only conducting investigation on registered cases and patrolling in their assigned areas, but are also deployed for resolving traffic congestion. Overburdened with works, police are unable to strengthen their network of informers which is causing failure in solving murder cases.
He further said that with the advancement in technology, offenders are taking all precautions before committing crimes. Earlier, police used to be in contact with locals and keep an eye on people’s movement in their assigned area. Police have a tenure of three years or more at particular police station due to which they are unable to network of informers and solve the murder cases apart from checking minor and major cases like eve teasing in their respective jurisdiction. Due to weak network of informers, police rely on technology and try to solve the cases scientifically, he added.
Another police officer said now, police is overburdened with works. Police are deployed on traffic duty, law and order, VIP duty and others apart from this they are being transferred within short period. This has resulted in weak network of informers. District Police should strengthen its network of local informers. District police head should improve the way of functioning in order to keep an effective track on the activities which are anti-social.