Srinagar, Sept 8: Crime rate in Jammu and Kashmir just seems to be going up, with Crime Branch registering at least 900 complaints in the state since the start of this year.
 Official documents with Greater Kashmir reveal that since January 2011, the Crime Branch has registered 565 complaints in Kashmir province till ending August while it has got 307 complaints from Jammu province during this period. Besides, 91 PVs are under probe in Kashmir and 91 in Jammu as on date.
 The complaints, most of which are under probe, include different cases of production of fake certificates during appointments in government departments, misappropriation of developmental funds in different areas, tampering of Date of Birth certificates, selling government ration in black market and misappropriation of food grains.
 Many complaints have been forwarded to different quarters like the concerned departments for further necessary action while challan has been produced in some cases.
 The CB (K) has registered at least 35 cases in 2010, with majority of them being under investigation. In 2010, the Kashmir wing has registered 12 cases which are being probed. Similarly Crime Branch Jammu has registered 31 cases in 2010 while nine in 2011. The list of cases transferred to CB (J) has been 34 while CB (K) it is 36 during the year 2010-11. The cases include misappropriation of food grains and black-marketing of kerosene oil. Some of the cases have been approved for challan while challan has already been produced in some.
 The Kashmir wing, as per official documents, is presently investigating a case of illegal conversion of state land and its sale at Nishat (Kralsangri) in favour of some beneficiaries, a fake appointment case in Handwara and a case of fake national sports certificates. In Jammu wing, the CB is probing a case of illegal sale of 300 kanals of Government land on the banks of River Tawi and a fake lottery draw case.
 While sources said the Crime Branch was not able to deal with all the cases in a time bound manner, an officer in CBK rubbished the claim. “Wherever we find a case requires to be registered, we do it and proceed as per the law,” the officer, wishing anonymity, said.
 He said the CB receives “flood of complaints which require to be examined before investigation.” “There are some complaints which prove to be false or are without any substantial basis. So we don’t proceed due to shortage of evidence,” he said. “But we certainly produce challans in cases where complaints prove to be correct after our investigation.”
 According to officials, the Crime Branch needs to be provided with more staff and latest gadgetry for effective tackling of crime. “Today, the world has progressed a lot in terms of tackling crimes of different nature. This is the age of information technology where cyber crimes also take place at an alarming rate. So for effective tackling of all types of crimes, it is important that the state government equips the Crime Branch officials with latest gadgets and infrastructure which would help them perform better,” said a former CB official. “And the complaints which the Crime Branch in Jammu or Kashmir receives must be dealt with promptly so that there is no destruction of evidence or lapse in investigation. If the Branch requires more staff for this, the government must provide it in the interest of society.”

Lastupdate on : Thu, 8 Sep 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 8 Sep 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 9 Sep 2011 00:00:00 IST