Following a surge in murders, a Maharashtra legislator is sounding the alarm over Nanded's escalating crime rates, rampant extortion, and the proliferation of illegal firearms, urging immediate police action.
With the Nanded city in central Maharashtra recording five murders within three days, Shiv Sena legislator Hemant Patil on Wednesday expressed concern over the law and order situation and claimed that there was an alarming proliferation of illegal firearms in the area.
Extortion was also rampant in the city, he said.
"If a search is conducted, at least 1,500 to 2,000 illegal pistols would be found in Nanded. Nobody has any fear (of law) here," said Patil, a Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
A 35-year-old Shiv Sena worker was stabbed to death in the city on Monday. Three persons had died in a clash between two gangs and another person was killed under the jurisdiction of Vazirabad police station over the weekend.
As Nanded is near the borders of Telangana and Karnataka, criminals run away to these states after committing a crime here, Patil told reporters.
The MLC also claimed that students who come to Nanded for education face extortion. "Their laptops and mobile phone are taken, and they are also beaten up. There is a need to establish a police commissionerate in Nanded at the earliest," he said.
"Hundreds of crores of rupees were collected from Nanded's businessmen in recent days. Many businessmen have left the city. So the political leaders should take a strong stand and must not give shelter to criminals irrespective of their political links," the MLC said.