Ranchi, Oct. 21: Crime sells, more so when there?s a brand.

Gangsters, almost everyone from top-bracket extortionists to those aspiring to climb the crime ladder, have woken up to the media explosion and realised its potential in giving them the big break.

The hype surrounding crime-related news and the airtime given by most television channels on the country?s most-wanted criminals has meant that Jharkhand?s baddies are eager to cash in on the boom to build a brand for themselves.

?It?s simple really. Any company coming out with a new product launches an ad blitz on the television and in the print media. Similarly, criminals want to create a name for themselves before they make a strike,? says a police officer. Newspaper and television channel offices have been flooded with phone calls of late from people claiming to be gangsters and demanding that their names be linked to crimes, even if they have not been actually committed by them. Recently, after some unidentified hooligans hurled bombs in the Chadri Bustee area on Line Tank Road, one absconding criminal called up crime reporters and news channels and requested them to somehow link him the incident.

?Criminals are projected like role models by the media. They too have realised the importance of publicity since the more their names are carried by newspapers and channels, the more feared they are. Dreaded criminals invite journalists to jails for an interview,? said the officer.