THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Over 900 Shylocks have been nabbed in Operation Kuberan, a highly appreciable drive which will help relieve many ordinary persons from the clutches of illegal loan mafias. However, the free hand given to them is allegedly misused by a section of cops to implicate innocent persons at the behest of vested interest groups.
The State Police chief and other senior officers have received a series of complaints of unfair police actions under the cover of Operation Kubera.
Preliminary investigations in some of the cases have found that the allegations were not baseless.
The haste shown by many cops in acting upon complaints of blade mafias and the absence of a proper review mechanism in the cases initiated by the local police give enough scope to cops to take undue advantage of the much hailed drive.
“I have given strict instructions that in complaints of civil nature the police should act only after preliminary investigations. However, in genuine complaints of criminal nature, the police will have to act swiftly,” said state police chief Mr. K. S. Balasubramanian. The state police chief also said that certain complaints in connection with Operation Kubera was being probed into. “In case of any unfair actions by the police, the aggrieved parties could take it up with the designated nodal officers in all districts or other higher officials. Adalats are also organized by district police chiefs,” he said.
ADGP Intelligence Mr. A. Hemachandran said that although no instance of unfair practices by the police has been observed in connection with Operation Kubera until now, there were many instances of fake complaints lodged against moneylenders. He also said that the severity of the social issues caused by loan mafias was very evident from the fact that there is no dearth in the flow of complaints against illegal money lenders, he said.
