V. Balakrishnan has assumed charge as the Inspector General of Police, Central Zone here on Friday. He had served as the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tiruchi Range before being transferred to Chennai City Police last year.
A postgraduate in Agriculture and a PG in Human Rights from the University College of London, Mr. Balakrishnan was recently promoted as Inspector General of Police and posted as IG, Central Zone in a major reshuffle of IPS officers.
A 2003 batch IPS officer, Mr. Balakrishnan had earlier served as Superintendent of Police in Madurai, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruppur and Theni districts. He told The Hindu that nodal officers in the rank of Inspector of Police had been nominated in the nine districts falling under the Central Zone to look into public grievances during enforcement of lockdown, especially at vehicle check points, and take necessary steps. The mobile number of the nodal officer had been circulated to the respective district field-level police personnel deployed at vehicle check points.
Mr. Balakrishnan said stern action would be taken against those found involved in illicit distillation in the wake of closure of TASMAC outlets owing to the lockdown adding that steps would be taken to detain such persons under the Bootleggers Act. The police would also be focussing on online-related frauds if they were to emerge in lockdown period, he added.
DIG takes charge
A. Radhika assumed charge as the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tiruchi range the same day. She succeeds Z. Annie Vijaya who has been transferred and posted as DIG Modernisation, Chennai.