Gurugram: How Covid has made crime probes riskier than before

GURUGRAM: Ever since the pandemic struck, the act of chasing down and catching a culprit has become even more dangerous for cops. Since social distancing is not possible in their line of work and criminals are tested for Covid only once they’re jailed, the policemen have become wary of coming in contact with accused who are infected with coronavirus.
Their worries are not unfounded. In just about two-and-a-half months, five to six criminals have tested positive after they’ve been jailed, and long after they’ve come in close contact with several policemen who apprehended them, interrogated them and took them to court. This led to several crime branch officers being sent to isolation. To date, more than 70 Gurugram police officers have contracted the virus.
In the second week of May, the crime unit of Gurugram police arrested a criminal after several weeks of tracking in connection with a snatching case. Police recovered a pistol from his possession and the accused was taken into police remand for interrogation. After a few days of interrogation the criminal was produced before the court and as per the protocol, tested for Covid-19 before being sent to jail. He was kept at an isolation facility specially created on the jail premises till the results were announced.
After a few days, he was found to be Covid positive. Similarly, last week the crime branch arrested three criminals in connection with a house theft and one of them tested Covid-19 positive. “In all such cases police came to know about the Covid-19 status of criminals several days after completion of police custody,” said an officer of the crime branch.
Elaborating further, the officer said catching criminals and following social distancing protocols cannot go hand-in-hand. He pointed out that as per the norm handcuffs are not allowed for any criminal until they are convicted, and police have to hold their hand while taking them for court appearances and be in close proximity to them to ensure they don’t escape.
“Covid-19 tests of criminals are conducted at the end of police custody and by the time we know about the result, several days have passed. The test is effective only to protect those inside the jail. For us it has no meaning,” said a cop, adding that recently.
ACP (crime) Preet Pal Sangwan, said, “Despite all these challenges cops are performing their duties without any hesitation and fear. Even during the lockdown, we solved multiple cases of murder, theft, and robbery,” he said, adding that even if a criminal is infected with a virus, it is the job of the police to catch them. He said cops follow necessary safety measures.
Of the nearly 70 policemen infected with coronavirus so far, 30 got it in June and one inspector died. Even those who are in office duty have contracted the disease. Last week, three people from the reader branch of DCP (South) tested positive and the entire branch was quarantined.
Earlier, the police PRO tested positive along with many others. “All of them were asymptomatic and have recovered. Many have even joined their duties,” said a senior police officer, adding that a separate quarantine centre has been created for policemen in Manesar.