PATNA, Feb. 10, 2007
Ranuk Singh
On Saturday afternoon, criminals on motorcycle looted cash Rs.
1.40 lakh and travellers' cheques of $1,000 at gunpoint from an
NRI, Baleshwar Prasad.
Police said Prasad along with his wife had just withdrawn cash
from the the bank and they were going to Maurya Lok to do shopping.
This is surprise that the police station is just 1/4 block from
the market.
Last month, Dr. Baleshwar Prasad arrived to attend the Jan 19
to 21 global meet for a resurgent Bihar. More than 500 experts,
including over 70 NRIs from all over the world came to attended
this function.. President Abdul Kalam inaugurated the function.
Bihar is India's most lawless state despite the government claims
that law and order have been improved in the state. Police record
shows that a murder takes place every two hours, a rape is committed
every six and a bank is looted every day in Bihar.
Nitish Kumar became chief minister in November, 2005, within
three months more than 140 people kidnapped and 400 murders. Mr.
Kumar had come up with a new approach to lower the crime by paying
criminals to surrender and give up their weapons. This step is
just to send a message to the criminals that they should either
surrender or the police would hound them.
The state government started to pay Rs 10,000 to every criminal
to turn themselves in and offered a monthly 3,000 rupees to every
criminal who surrenders.
He also offered Rs 25,000 for a rocket launcher, light machine
gun or a rifle. Rs 15,000 for AK-47 guns and 3,000 rupees for
pistols, revolvers, and old rifles.
Since 1992, there have been over 30,000 abductions in Bihar and
it. Bihar is also called "kidnapping 'capital"
