Patna, Aug. 11: The Patna superintendent of rail police has asked station house officers of government railway police stations under his jurisdiction to "adopt" five history-sheeters and notorious gangsters from their respective areas.

The task was given to station house officers (SHOs) of 13 government railway police stations (GRPs), eight police posts and crime centres each under the jurisdiction of the Patna rail district at a crime review meeting on Monday.

The officers have been told to furnish, within a week, names of criminals they have adopted. Patna superintendent of railway police (SRP) Prakash Nath Mishra said the initiative was taken to keep an eye on the activities of criminals involved in serious offences like dacoity, murder, robbery and theft in running trains.

The police officers concerned have been asked to tap and adopt only those history-sheeters who are now out of jail on bail or against whom there are no pending cases at present. As per plan, the officers would keep a close tab on the outlaws on a day-to-day basis.

They would first build a bridge and then ask the history-sheeters to visit police stations regularly.

Their underworld connections would also be used to crack down on criminal cases.

Elaborating on the plan, Mishra said: "It is not necessary that a particular gang member would commit crime in the area of his/her operations only. There have been instances when criminals from outside the state have visited the area, stayed in hotels and gone back after committing crimes."