Manu Maharaj

A widowed resident of Rajendra Nagar was surprised a few days back when a police officer turned up at her door in connection with a complaint she had lodged on the Patna police website.

The woman, a retired schoolteacher in her 60s, had lodged a complaint about criminals gathering near Congress Maidan (in Kadamkuan) and harassing the residents on September 20.

The next day, the officer came to ask her for details and followed up with her two days later. She requested the police not to disclose her identity, as she lives alone.

She told The Telegraph: “I had tried to get the attention of the officers at the local police station. The criminals would pass lewd comments at the women in the area. Nobody took notice of the complaint. But after I lodged the complaint on the official police website, action was taken within a timeframe. The youths disappeared from the spot.”

The website has received 200 complaints since it was launched on September 19. But only eight of them have been addressed and transferred to the police station concerned.

Kumari Mamta, a resident of Mohammadpur Pavera in Patna rural, had complained about extortion on September 29. The complaint was transferred to the Dhanarua police station and the alleged extortionist was arrested on Sunday.

“The complaints are transferred to the police station after scrutiny at the control room. So, eight of the cases have been listed for action,” said a senior police officer.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaj said the complaints posted on the website are being monitored on a regular basis. “Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that complaints have been received from even remote areas like Mokama and Dhanarua,” he said.

On September 27, Jai Kumar Singh, a resident of Mainaktola in Mokama, had complained that his cellphone had gone missing. The matter was referred to the Jakkanpur police station.

A Delhi resident, Prashant Priyam, has also lodged a complaint related to a person misbehaving with a relative in Buddha Colony.

SSP Maharaj said: “A majority of the complaints registered on the website is related to the theft of cellphones, domestic violence and eve-teasing.”