80% extortion calls by local goons, not gangsters: DGP

Jalandhar: Nearly 80% of extortion calls made to people are by local criminals pretending to be gangsters, said Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav on Monday, when he was addressing an event organised at Punjab Armed Police (PAP) headquarters here to mark Police Commemoration Day.
Yadav said only 20% of such calls were made by actual gangsters, as he urged citizens to report such crimes promptly and directed commissioners and senior superintendents of police to convert such complaints into FIRs for a thorough probe.
Earlier, Yadav paid tributes to all police personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.
Yadav described Punjab Police as an “exceptional force” which served the country in times of peace and disturbance. He said 1,799 officials of the force, including two this year, had died on work since Sept 1981.
The DGP said Punjab Police will continue to work harder for maintaining peace and communal harmony. Interacting with media on the sidelines of the event, Yadav added street crime and sale of drugs were two areas which directly affected citizens.