Kolkata, Sept. 3 -- In a major crackdown against organised crime, the state Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) unearthed a sophisticated extortion syndicate, arresting a key operative from Howrah involving a section of traffic cops of Howrah, Kolkata, Baruipur and Bidhannagar.
The suspect, identified as Sanjib, a resident of Howrah was allegedly running a collection racket targeting commercial vehicles and cargo trucks.
According to ACB officials, the syndicate operated under a highly organised structure, intercepting commercial vehicles entering the city limits.
The gang routinely extorted hefty sums of money from truck drivers by exploiting "no-entry" traffic hours and leveraging fabricated or exaggerated regulatory violations.
nvestigating officers revealed that truckers who refused to comply with the illegal demands were threatened with heavy penalties, vehicle impoundments, and prolonged harassment.
The sleuths have found that once the trucks arrive at Dankuni, the place before entering the city, several touts deployed by the syndicate operators approach the truck driver, offering to arrange safe passage during no-entry hours.
When the truck driver agrees to the proposal, the touts provide them with mobile numbers of the persons operating in the background.
When truck drivers contact the operator, about Rs 2000-2500 is demanded per truck. After successful payment using online payment systems or cash, truck drivers are assured of protection. While plying through the city during restricted hours, traffic police provide security and safe passage to the trucks instead of prosecuting the vehicles.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.