Reveals identity of minor delinquent in newsletter
VIBHA VERMA
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PANJIM: Goa Police’s eagerness to take credit for some major crackdowns in the recent past has gone terribly wrong as they have revealed the identity of one juvenile delinquent in their newsletter, thus violating the provisions of Juvenile Justice Act.
The third issue of Goa Police’s quarterly newsletter, which was circulated to the print media earlier this month, has named a juvenile, who along with his crime partner was apprehended in a theft case this February.
The two were members of notorious Rs 10-note gang from Trichur who had hoodwinked people in Goa. They were finally caught by police, helped by alert public.
The modus operandi of the gang is placing Rs 10 notes on the road near parked vehicles, and informing their drivers that their money had fallen. After distracting their victim’s attention, the gang steals valuable items from the open vehicle and then flees.
The Panjim police had caught two of five thieves including a 14-year-old after they attempted to escape with belongings including a handbag valued at Rs 1 lakh and cash stolen from three cars in different parts of the city.
The police’s eight-page newsletter outdid itself and named the minor. “Panjim police arrested two persons including Surendra Prakash, s/o B Prakash and (named the juvenile) both natives of Trichur, Kerala, involved in theft cases with modus operandi of throwing Rs 10 currency note and diverting the attention…” reads the very first ‘notable detections’ on Page 3 of the newsletter.
The child rights activists are anguished over the ‘insensitivity’ of the police. The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) has even decided to issue a notice to the department. “It is shocking that law keepers have themselves violated the law. They should know that law prohibits them from disclosing the identity including the name of a juvenile. I am compelled to send a notice to the police so that the same is not repeated in the history of Goa Police,” JJB member Auda Viegas said.
