City police crackdown on hawkers

Leaving nothing to chance after three blasts shook the financial capital recently, the city police are cracking the whip on roadside vendors as part of the security awareness drive to contain the law and order problem

City police crackdown on hawkers

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Taking cue post the recent Mumbai triple blasts, the city police are cracking the whip on roadside vendors as part of the security awareness drive to contain the law and order problem.

Tight vigil: Shopkeepers have also been instructed not to allow
customers to loiter around shops or to stand in groups near cigarette
kiosks. representation pic

Patrolling cops have evicted hawkers blocking footpaths on major and arterial roads to avoid traffic jams and
also to discourage suspicious activities. Additional Commissioner of Police T Sunil Kumar said, "This crackdown is based on several complaints and suggestions by the residents. The city is already reeling under traffic problem, encroachment of footpaths by hawkers will only add to the woes."

Petty shopkeepers have been instructed not to allow customers to loiter around shops or to stand in groups near cigarette kiosks. "We do not encourage smokers standing around our shops," said a shopkeeper. He added that the patrolling police have warned of strict action if they do not comply with the instructions.

Faking it
Meanwhile, Central Crime Branch sleuths, who are doing a parallel investigation on the ongoing Mumbai terror attack, have verified that inputs were provided by one of the suspects nabbed by Mumbai crime branch near Kishenjang on Monday. The suspect identified as Riyazul Sarkar is said to be an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant, who sneaked into the country some months ago.

The suspect was working as construction labour in various parts of the country and was nabbed while attempting to re-enter Bangladesh after the Mumbai terror attack. Detailed enquiries with Sarkar revealed that he had stayed at several places, including Bangalore and managed to learn the local language in a short while.

"Details of the suspect's antecedents extracted by the sleuths proved to be fake. The same has been conveyed to their counterparts," said a senior police official. Meanwhile, security in the city has been beefed up with adequate night patrols and checkpoints.

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