22 February,2013 07:30 AM IST | | MiD DAY Correspondent
The Navi Mumbai police must be squirming with discomfort, with two major murder cases of high profile people being transferred to the Mumbai police within a week, reflecting a lack of faith in their efficiency by their superiors. At the same time, the transfer of these cases has boosted the ego of the Mumbai police, as their sleuthing will surely be closely followed by the entire state.
The Home Department decided to transfer the cases of Sandhya Singh, music composers Jatin and Lalit's sister, as well as the daylight murder of prominent builder Sunil Loharia to the Mumbai police, citing that the involvement of local police directly or indirectly in the matters which could lead to bias in investigations.
Sandhya Singh's family members have alleged the involvement of a local cop who was in constant touch with the deceased, while in Loharia's case a senior cop has come up on the radar of suspicion for allegedly shielding the builder of a rival group who is a prime suspect in the case. Whatever the reasons may be many for the abrupt transfers, it will surely diminish the trust that Navi Mumbaikars repose in their police machinery. After all, when other members of their own department are doubting their colleagues in Navi Mumbai, how can residents not?
This unprecedented transfer is an eye-opener for the entire police force. At the same time, it shall sow seeds of rivalry between the two commissionarates. This city has been witness to several inter-departmental rivalries, with the Crime Branch and ATS often stepping on each other's toes, trespassing on each other's territories, arresting one another's informers, and contradicting each other. This new chapter in the drama will surely make things more interesting.
