‘Palika Bazaar is a haven for illegal activity’

NEW DELHI: The rape of a 23-year-old woman at Palika Bazaar, Delhi’s first air-conditioned underground market, has not surprised many, as the shopping complex has earned the reputation of being a safe haven for drug peddlers and dealers of illegal currency, pirated software and pornographic films.

Though police have carried out raids and sometimes even arrested shop owners, they have not been able to control the menace. Sources alleged that the police were hand-in-glove with the culprits.

“The police should install close circuit cameras to keep a check on these illegal activities,” said Dinesh Gaur, president of Palika Bazaar Shopkeepers’ Welfare Association. “Once these are installed, everything will be on the record. But neither the police nor the civic authorities have paid any heed to our demand.”         

The woman was gang raped inside a garment shop on Saturday. The police have arrested the two salesmen in this connection, but not much has been done to crackdown on the illegal activities in the mall. “Five days ago, we had given the police a list of 15 shopkeepers who indulge in illegal activities. But no action has been taken against them. The list also has the names of the two accused who raped the woman inside their shop,” said Gaur.

The police claimed that the licences of 20 shopkeepers had been cancelled in the past for indulging in illegal activities. “Most of these shopkeepers sell porn films and even drugs,” said a senior officer, who is in-charge of the market’s security. “Some of them also deal in stolen goods. We have managed to bust the racket.”