In an interview with Meerut (City) Superintendent of Police Ran Vijay Singh, he explains the efforts made by the police to stop the sale of parts of stolen cars in Sotiganj
How many shops are there in Sotiganj? What steps have been taken by the Meerut police to stop illegal trade of stolen car parts in the area?
There are nearly 1,000 automobile shops in Sotiganj. We conduct regular raids at Sotiganj to stop the sale and purchase of stolen cars. We have also instructed shop owners to maintain records of all the sales and purchases. In case of any mismatch in records, the shop owner will be held under sections of auto theft. At present, no stolen cars enter the area because of strict police surveillance. People engaged in illegal trade have shifted their operations to nearby districts.
How did this market manage to flourish in Meerut despite the police being aware of this illegal trade? Can this menace be wiped out completely?
There was a lot of political interference during raids earlier. We were discouraged from taking action against shop owners as most of them belong to one community. It could create law and order issue. However, things have changed now. The only way to end this illegal trade is to discourage car owners from purchasing automobile parts from this market. Besides being unsafe, these car parts compromise with the safety and security of the passengers.
Your counterparts from other States often complain of lack of cooperation from Meerut police during raids?
This allegation is incorrect. We have cooperated with raiding teams from Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. We assist them during the raids and also provide adequate security to them.
Locals alleged that Meerut police are hand in glove with Sotiganj auto mafia? There are allegations that police get a hefty sum every month from some of the junk dealers for advance alerts in case of a raid.
We always take action against policemen found involved with the auto mafia or caught passing any information to them. We keep a close watch on Sadar police station but never found these allegations true. Most of the raids are surprise and always supervised by a senior police officer.
Auto mafia kingpin Haji Galla is in jail but his network is active. Your comment.
Galla was arrested in March and sent to jail. Many of his close associates are underground since his arrest. His godown in Sotiganj, where bodies of 500 cars were recovered during a raid in 2015, is still sealed.
