Police Commissioner DN Jadhav believes that the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scam is no less a menace that the city police urgently need to counter.
The Maximum City has frequently been targeted by the terrorists and the underworld and now, another “equally grave” trouble has cropped up. Police Commissioner DN Jadhav believes that the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scam is no less a menace that the city police urgently need to counter.
“The underworld and terrorism are indeed big factors, but the SRA scam is equally big. We are taking it very seriously,” Jadhav said told a press conference at the Azad Maidan Police Club on Wednesday.
Asked about the alleged underworld-politician nexus in the SRA scam, Jadhav sidestepped the query. “Currently, the Anti-Corruption Bureau is investigating several SRA cases. It would be dealing each of them on the basis of its merit. I am confident that we will be able to tackle this menace,” he said.
According to top sources in the police department, shadow of the underworld lurked on many of the SRA projects, with the likes of Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Rajan gangs reportedly involved in them. One such case is being investigated by the crime branch, in which Dawood Ibrahim’s sister, Hasina Parker, allegedly brokered the deal on an SRA project in Sion.
Recently, Bombay HC ordered the ACB to investigate as many as 247 SRA cases. Probe has begun in 11 of them. A senior ACB officer said on condition of anonymity that huge money was involved in the SRA projects. “SRA projects are peculiar in nature. The developer needs to have a lot of liquid cash with him at the start of the project because he needs to rehabilitate people. Not many developers have that kind of money. This was where the underworld stepped in with their ready money,” he said.
There are reports of politicians too being involved in SRA projects. “It was due to this that the investigating agencies initially found it difficult to investigate SRA cases. But now, with the honourable High Court intervening, there is hope that the cases would be investigated thoroughly,” the officer added.
Another sprouting crime which is worrying the Mumbai police chief, is the motor-vehicle theft. “There is an enormous increase in the number of car thefts. We are looking at ways to curb this menace as well,” Jadhav said.
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