20 August,2011 04:54 AM IST | | Sayed Roshan
At Antop Hill, bootleggers are turning into vegetable vendors, and drug peddlers into hawkers, all thanks to a reform drive by the area's police, with its motto: Reduce criminals, not just crime.
Good Samaritan: Senior Police Inspector Shamsher Pathan has been
extending financial aid to offenders to help them start their own businesses
A brainwave of Senior PI Shamsher Pathan, the initiative involves extending financial aid to offenders for small start-ups, helping them find employment and counselling them.
Ask Pinky Singh (18) who used to sell liquor. "Pathan saab gave me a chance to start over by helping me change my profession," said Pinky. "From the day I started selling fish, people have started giving me respect."
The mission has made strides in transforming lives of petty criminals, and over the last couple of months, the area's crime rate has dropped to half.
Said Pathan, "We have been counselling locals with bad records. If we feel they can change, we help them. We hope the people do not break our trust and continue living the way they are right now."
Former liquor supplier, Mohammad Sheikh (35), now has a grocery stall. "I want to thank Pathan saab for changing my life and helping me come close to my family," he said.
Similarly, ex-drug peddler Salim Nawab Khan (34) now sells ornaments to provide for his family. "My life has changed. I am a stronger person now, and I hope this attitude of mine continues," said Khan.
