Surat: Now, Surat city will have a special team of police officials to crackdown on economic offenders operating in an organised fashion and targeting the trade and business community in the textile and diamond sectors.
Sources said that economic offences to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore are reported every year in the Diamond City.
The economic offence (EO) cell has been formed specifically to investigate cheating cases among the business and trade community in the city.
The state government has approved staff of 50 for the cell which will be headed by an officer of the rank of an assistant commissioner of police (ACP). Currently ACP, crime branch will be holding charge of the cell. The cell will have three inspectors, six sub-inspectors and 40 assistant sub-inspectors, head constable and constables. Presently the cell has started operation with 16 cops including two inspectors.
“The fraudsters are functioning in an organised manner. They operate like gangs dealing in organised crime. The EO cell will prove a deterrent for these elements,” city police commissioner Ajay Tomar told TOI.
“Salabatpura police station alone registered 202 economic offences, mostly related to textile trade, this year. Now, serious offences will be investigated by the EO cell,” Tomar added.
City police stations like Puna, Khatodara, Pandesara, Udhna, Varachha, Katargam and Kapodra also large number of complaints of cheating in the textile and diamond industry. In most cases, the buyers disappear without making payment for the purchase.
A specialised cell for probing cheating cases was a long pending demand of the textile and diamond industry. “In local police stations, these cases did not get priority. But with a dedicated team to investigate economic offences, the frauds can be kept under check,” said Dinesh Navadiya, president of Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry.