Cops reach out to Salcete sarpanchs over cyber crime

Margao: The South Goa police on Friday held a meeting with the sarpanchs of Salcete villages and with a view to creating an awareness among them about cyber crime and its prevention.
DySP Shivendy Bhushan, who chaired the meeting, later told TOI that it was a regular exercise aimed at reaching out to the public in view of the rising incidents of cyber crime in the state. “We are holding meetings with various segments of the society – students, women, NGOs, etc. This was an exercise involving elected representatives from panchayats as they have a wider reach. The sarpanchs were informed about the do’s and don’ts for prevention of cyber crimes, and in case of frauds how to respond to the incidents,” Bhushan said.
The sarpanchs who attended the meeting said that they have been asked to create awareness among the villagers on the issue.
The sarpanchs also took the opportunity of the interaction with the police officers to apprise the police about the issues faced by the locals over issues concerning law and order.
The officers, they said, sought their help in tackling cyber crimes and other crimes. From their side, the sarpanchs urged theof ficers to intensify night patrolling and take preventive measures to curb the rising crime rate.
The sarpanchs also brought to the notice of the officers that tourism-related areas are witnessing crimes, and for this, the police need to increase surveillance on the movement of suspicious elements.