Task force gets thumbs-up to register and probe cases

HYDERABAD: The City Task Force will not just conduct raids and attend bandobust duties when law and order is disturbed. But the striking force will now register and investigate important cases like it is done at other police stations.
A decision has been taken to ensure better investigation and bringing cases to a logical end, though it is an additional burden for the task force, sources in the city police told Sunday Times of India on Saturday.
So far, the task force used to conduct raids, arrest the accused and hand over the cases to the local police for further investigation. As the force was free from the burden of conducting investigation, the personnel used to gather more information about criminals and conduct raids.
However, some important cases involving fake certificates, doctored passports and racketeers were diluted after they were handed over to the local police, following which the decision to entrust the task force the job of investigation into important cases was taken, sources said.
With the additional burden, the task force too will be reduced to work like the local police which is bogged down with shortage of staff and busy with bandobust duties, sources said.
Investigations, filing chargesheet and attending the trial takes long time and the task force will not be able to concentrate on the movements of criminals and anti-social activities, sources said.
The task force has already registered its first case of video piracy in which a couple of film-makers and technicians working with some entertainment firms are involved. As the racketeers had been getting original prints and converting them into beta tapes, the film industry was incurring huge losses. Some of the racketeers were arrested by the task force following which city police commissioner R P Singh instructed the task force to register and investigate the case instead of handing it over to the local police in view of the grave nature of the case, sources said.
Deputy commissioner of police (task force) Y Gangadhar admitted that they have been asked to register and investigate important cases, though it is an additional task for them.