Want a dose of narcotic drugs? All you need do is visit the thek (read hideout) of the local peddler and leave your contact number there. To be on the safe side, just scribble the number on a piece of paper, before putting it in the ‘post box’ at the thek. You can, thereafter, rest assured that someone will contact you soon and deliver the consignment, against a fixed payment.
The nexus among the police, criminals and politicians in Lake Town, Dum Dum and the airport area has become so strong that even officials of the adjoining police stations are at a loss how to stop the influx of criminals into their respective areas.
They fear the problem may assume alarming proportions if suitable and concerted action is not taken right now against the organised gangs.
“We are very concerned over the number of criminal theks in the Dum Dum and Lake Town areas. Though we are trying our best to clean up the zone, goons from Dum Dum and Lake Town often take shelter in a relatively-low-crime zone like Rajarhat after committing dacoities and even murders,” said an officer of Rajarhat police station.
“As soon as we plan any raid, they run away, only to take shelter in the theks that enjoy immunity from us,” he added. Police have identified eight such hideouts in Dum Dum, Rajarhat and Lake Town, but are yet to take any steps against them.
“We know the apartments at Patipukur, from where Pinaki Mitra and ‘Hatkata’ Dilip operate a full-fledged extortion racket. But we are not in a position to arrest them owing to political intervention,” said a police officer of Lake Town.
“Criminals running an extortion racket in Dum Dum, like Bhakti, Mukti and Lyata Gopal, operate from their ‘office’ on R.N. Guha Road with impunity. Dipak, a goon operating from the Madhugar area, too, owns an office,” admitted the officer.
According to police, some local clubs at the Narayanpur and Bablatala areas of Rajarhat have been patronising the criminals.
“These clubs enjoy the patronage of local politicians. Even if we come to know of criminals hiding in the clubs, it becomes impossible for us to conduct raids, because the local politicians call up their senior party bosses to create pressure on us to leave the criminals alone. Unfortunately, some policemen are also involved in the racket,” an officer observed.
