Mumbai, Aug 11 (PTI) The existence of urban Naxals cannot be denied, a senior Mumbai Police officer said on Monday, adding that they are being monitored.
Police teams maintain a strict vigil and take appropriate action. Police are alert and monitoring movements of urban naxals, the officer said, adding that he cannot divulge details of action.
The state legislature passed the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, in the monsoon session. The bill seeks to prevent unlawful activities of Left Wing Extremist organisations with a focus on urban Naxalism and “passive militancy”.
The stringent provisions of the legislation, including hefty fines and a jail term up to seven years, have sparked criticism from civil society groups and opposition parties, who view it as a tool to suppress dissent under the pretext of national security.
During an informal interaction with journalists, the police officer said terrorism is the biggest challenge being tackled by the Mumbai Police on priority, followed by the safety of women and children, narcotics and cybercrime.
When asked if urban Naxals are in Mumbai, the officer said that the word “urban” is self-explanatory.
“Police monitor them and take appropriate action. We are alert and keeping vigil on their every movement,” he added.
Addressing cybercrime and explaining measures to tackle the growing menace, the officer said Mumbai Police’s cyber helpline number 1930 receives over 2000 calls every day about online cheating.
“After registering complaints, police daily freeze over Rs 60 lakh lost by victims within 15 to 20 minutes of the incident,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of a short window in reporting online frauds, he appealed to citizens to immediately dial the helpline number so that police can block the transfer of hard-earned money from falling into hands of fraudsters.
“If victims fail to inform police immediately, fraudsters withdraw money by transferring it to various accounts,” he said.
Addressing the issue of illegal immigrants settling in Mumbai, the officer stated that action has been taken against more than 1,000 illegal Bangladeshi nationals, and they have been deported.
He said the Ganesh festival and Eid-e-Milad Un Nabi will pass off peacefully with the coordination between police and citizens.
Citing orders of the court, he cautioned Ganesh mandals against using high-decibel music systems during the upcoming Ganesh festival.
He said police booked a person for feeding pigeons in Girgaon, south Mumbai. PTI DC NSK
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