The Bihar Police today launched a campaign against gangs involved in land grabbing in the state capital and exhorted victims to come forward and register complaints so that quick and stringent action could be taken.
"We are asking people to come and lodge complaints if their land or property is being forcible grabbed, or they are being forced to sell or write their property by gangs involved in land grabbing. Priority will be given to such cases. We promise quick and stringent action," Patna Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Shalin told reporters.
Shalin said the police keep hearing about professional land grabbers operating in Patna, but people do not come forward to register their complaints.
"We assure them the police will take action against those involved in land grabbing cases. We will also take action against those who provide support or protection to such persons or gangs - be policemen or anybody else," Shalin said.
Patna has seen a spate of land grabbing cases over the last few years in which gangs professing allegiance to musclemen politicians have forced landowners to register or sell their land at throwaway prices.
The DIG suspended a police inspector Mukhlal Paswan for being in nexus with a land grabber Chandan Kumar, jailed in connection with a kidnapping case.
Kumar had kidnapped one Umesh Prasad Singh, a resident of Bhojpur district, on June 26 last in an effort to grab a large plot of land belonging to him on the outskirts of the state capital.
Singh was rescued by the police on June 28 and Kumar was arrested from the land registry office.
"During investigations City SP (West) Rajiv Mishra found the inspector was in nexus with Kumar and his associates. He had given Rs 11 lakh to him and wanted to get the land registered in the name of his father-in-law," Shalin said.
The police was further investigating the matter.
Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vikas Vaibhav was also present on the occasion.
