Chandigarh Police's hands full of ‘bad characters': 275 in all, 9 of them women
A police official said that the term 'bad character', in police records, is used to identify individuals with a history of repeated involvement in criminal activities, such as theft, robbery, snatching, murder, and drug trafficking. These individuals may or may not have been convicted in a court of law, but are marked by police surveillance based on consistent criminal behaviour or suspicion.
Maloya tops the list
Among all police jurisdictions in Chandigarh, the Maloya police station accounts for the highest number of bad characters — 45 individuals. It is followed by IT (Information Technology) Park area (31) and Sector 11 (21). These areas include several informal settlements and high-density zones where criminal activities are reported more frequently, contributing to the higher count of individuals under scrutiny.
Significantly, it is Sector 3 area of the city where the police have identified only one 'bad character'.
Life under surveillance: Consequences of being a 'bad character'
Individuals designated as 'bad characters' face numerous challenges in their daily lives due to constant scrutiny and social consequences. They are kept under close surveillance by their respective local police stations, which affects their sense of freedom and privacy. This label hampers their ability to rent accommodation, obtain driving licences or passports, and clear police verifications required for government jobs. The social stigma attached to this status often leads to strained personal relationships and can severely impact marriage prospects. Legally, such individuals face complications in securing bail, particularly if they are repeat offenders or have pending cases. Additionally, having a police record often leads to visa rejections from several countries, limiting their international mobility and opportunities.
Getting off the list: A path to reform
Police officials clarified that inclusion in the 'bad character' list is not permanent. If an individual refrains from criminal activity over an extended period and maintains positive conduct in society, their name can be removed. The Station House Officer (SHO) or Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) can recommend removal after preparing a satisfactory report, often in consultation with intelligence inputs.
A senior police officer said that to curb the criminal and snatching incidents, a special search operation (CASO) has been carried out in the city, wherein special focus of police teams was to check suspicious persons, 'bad characters', history sheeters, those released from jail and to keep watch on persons involved in NDPS cases. The BC (bad characters) are being continuously kept under vigil.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
36 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Mohali: Man caught with 25 gm heroin at Sunny Enclave market
The Kharar police arrested a man with 25 gm heroin during a routine checking near the Green Market in Sunny Enclave on Wednesday. A case under Section 21 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered against the accused. (HT File) The accused was identified as Niman Singh, a native of Ferozepur. According to police, Niman tried to escape when he spotted a patrolling team. 'He threw down an envelope in a suspicious manner while attempting to walk away quickly. Upon checking, we found 25 gm heroin inside the envelope,' said an official. Police also recovered ₹14,500 in cash from his possession, which he allegedly earned from the sale of heroin. A case under Section 21 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered against him at the Kharar police station. Further investigation is underway to trace the supply chain and other possible links, said police.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Duo held in 2024 pharma drugs seizure discharged due to lack of evidence
MUMBAI: The sessions court on Monday discharged two men who were named as accused in a 2024 pharmaceutical drug seizure case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, observing that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against them and had not produced any corroborative evidence to show their involvement in the alleged crime. (Shutterstock) On June 12, 2024, the Azad Maidan Unit of the Anti-Barcotics Cell seized 2,160 tablets and 74 strips containing pheniramine maleate from a parked handcart close to a rickshaw stand in front of the Kismat Hostel near Masjid Station. Three men were booked in the case, out of which accused No. 3, in his statement to the ANC, had admitted that the contraband material belonged to him. While hearing the plea of Saddam Sheikh and Imran Khan, the owners of the handcart seeking to be discharged from the case, additional sessions judge RB Rote said, 'I find that the evidence as collected during the investigation, and as relied on by the prosecution, is not sufficient to frame charges against accused No. 1 and 2.' While the seizure itself was not disputed, the court noted that the prosecution failed to prove that Sheikh and Khan were the owners of the recovered contraband material. Moreover, the prosecution primarily relied on witness statements recorded under Section 161 (process of examination of witnesses by police during an investigation) of the CrPC and the seizure panchnama. Even there, the court noted that the witnesses who spoke about the accused were not present at the scene and their information was based on hearsay. 'Such type of statements cannot be the basis for framing charges against the accused persons,' said additional Sessions Judge R B Rote while discharging the two. The court further highlighted the absence of forensic evidence or any chemical analysis linking the seized drugs to the accused. Regarding the nature of the substance, the court noted that the recovered pheniramine maleate did not qualify as a commercial quantity under the NDPS Act, which further weakened the case. 'The seized contraband in the present matter is of non-commercial quantity and there is no material on record to show that the accused persons were found in possession of the said contraband or they were the owners of the said contraband.' The judge concluded that mere recovery of drugs was insufficient to frame charges under the NDPS Act without establishing conscious possession or ownership. 'The only material on record is that some contraband was recovered from a place, but the link of the accused persons with the said contraband is not established. Therefore, I find that the evidence, as collected during the investigation and as relied on by the prosecution, is not sufficient to frame charges against the accused persons,' the court stated.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Pune Crime Files: from escort service to drug sale, how convicted top sex racketeer Kalyani was booked under MCOCA again
Jayashree alias Kalyani Umesh Deshpande, 56, whose name has figured in Pune police records for years as an infamous sex racketeer, has once again been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). This time, however, the action taken against her is in connection with the 'ganja (marijuana)' business she was allegedly operating from the garment shop Kalyani Collection, located near her residence Balaji Nivas, on the Pashan-Sus Road. Acting on a tip-off, a team from the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Pimpri Chinchwad police's crime branch raided Balaji Nivas and Kalyani Collection on May 24 this year. The search was led by Santosh Patil, Senior Inspector, and Vikram Gaikwad, Assistant Inspector. The police arrested Kalyani's husband Umesh Deshpande, 56, her niece Aishwarya Deshpande alias Aishwarya Ranawade, 22, and Aishwarya's husband Abhishekh Ranawade, 32, from the spot. The searches, meanwhile, led to the recovery of about 21 kg of marijuana, worth Rs 11 lakh, from their possession. Questioning of the three accused allegedly revealed that Kalyani had procured the marijuana, which was then stocked in nylon bags and sold from the garment shop. A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged at Bavdhan police station under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The investigators launched a search for Kalyani. A senior police officer said that though Kalyani is the most notorious sex racketeer in Pune, this is the first case against her that is linked to a drug racket. The police suspect that Kalyani, who is known to have contacts across various criminal syndicates, allegedly networked with marijuana smugglers operating from Odisha via Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, officers said she started Kalyani Collection a few months before the raids. The shop sold garments, but it was allegedly just a cover for the marijuana business. Following a rigorous search operation, the police arrested her from the Rajanagaram area in Andhra Pradesh on June 15. Since then, she has been behind bars, but the investigators are yet to trace the people who allegedly supplied the marijuana. 'We suspect that she started selling marijuana alongside running the sex racket to make more money,' Senior Inspector Patil said. The Pimpri Chinchwad police said Kalyani was running an organised criminal gang with Umesh, Aishwarya, and Abhishek. Considering the alleged involvement of the gang in six offences, including five crimes pertaining to sex racketeering in the past, the police in July invoked MCOCA against all four accused in the NDPS Act case registered at Bavdhan police station, as per a statement issued on August 2. However, the police said Kalyani has a long criminal record. They believe she was a part of the sex trade in Pune since the 1990s, but her name only made it to Pune City police records in 2000 when she was named an accused in around 25 criminal cases, officers added. As per police records, Kalyani operated an escort agency named 'Venus Escorts' from her bungalow in Pune. She was first booked under MCOCA after her name cropped up in connection with the murder of a sex worker at a hotel on the outskirts of Pune in December 2005. An FIR of murder was lodged against her at Haveli police station, but she was discharged under MCOCA and later acquitted in the case. The police said her residence on Sus Road was infamous for sex trade and crimes. In December 2007, her close aide in the prostitution business, Anil Dhole, was murdered at this bungalow. According to police sources, even after Dhole's death, Kalyani's activities grew, with some of her customers being high-profile clients. Sources said she developed a network that allegedly 'supplied' girls from different parts of the country and abroad for prostitution in Pune and other areas. On March 31, 2012, the Hinjewadi police arrested Kalyani in a sex racket case. And in April, the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested an inspector and a constable of Hinjewadi police station for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 40,000 from Kalyani's cousin Jatin Chawda to prevent seeking an extension in her police custody before the court. Kalyani got bail in this case and allegedly continued to operate her sex racket. Police sources said Kalyani had even announced a film based on her life, claiming that it was being shot in Pune, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, but did not reveal its title. The film was never released. Kalyani reportedly told investigators that she hailed from an ordinary family and married an autorickshaw driver. She claimed that an urgent need for money in the family had led her to the sex trade. In April 2012, ahead of the birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar, Kalyani had put up banners in some parts of the city to show her interest in social work. The banners carried her photograph alongside Ambedkar's image. However, in 2016, the Pune City police arrested Kalyani after links emerged with a sex racket busted at an apartment in Bhusari Colony, Kothrud. The police had allegedly found two women from Uzbekistan engaged in prostitution at the apartment. Kalyani and her aides – Pradip Gavali and Ravi Tapase – were arrested in this case under sections of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA). The same year, in October, the police invoked MCOCA against Kalyani in this case. In December 2022, a special court in Pune convicted and sentenced her to seven years of rigorous imprisonment under PITA and MCOCA charges. Officers said that after completing her jail term, she became active in the prostitution business again. Last year, she was arrested in two sex racket cases in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Officers said she soon came out on bail before allegedly getting involved in the marijuana trade. Chandan Haygunde is an assistant editor with The Indian Express with 15 + years of experience in covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2007. Chandan has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. While working on the 'Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation' in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He has done in-depth reporting on the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and hearings of the 'Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry'. ... Read More
