KP police directed to go after drug dealers, land grabbers

PESHAWAR: The police all over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been directed to launch crackdown on ice (methamphetamine) dealers, usurers, extortionists and land grabbers and submit their reports about the progress to the police chief.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammad Naeem Khan on Tuesday directed all the regional police officers (RPOs) and district police officers (DPOs) to take action against the mafias involved in social evils of drug selling and smuggling, grabbing the land of the general public through force, extorting money from people through usury.

The officials were instructed to update him about the progress.

“The IGP has directed the RPOs and DPOs to go after the mafias. The RPOs and DPOs have been directed to play their role and protect the general public, especially the youth from the drug dealers, land mafia, timber mafia, usurers and other criminals,” the media cell of the IGP said.

There have been several complaints that the land mafia supported by influential people brandishing automatic weapons in double-cabin pickups and jeeps is involved in occupying the land of the innocent people who have no access to the government and police.

In many cases, the criminals demand extortion from the owners of the land in urban, suburban and rural areas. Some of these professional land grabbers take advantage of small mistakes in the transfer of inherited properties with the connivance of the local staff of the revenue department and demand money from the owners.

The pathetic revenue system supports land grabbers. In many cases, innocent people are left with no other option but to pay to the criminals after finding no help from police or revenue department.

A large number of such cases are also being heard by the dispute resolution councils and jirgas but lack of action against the mafia encourages them.

The police in the past had also announced action against the land mafia and those groups branding automatic weapons in the provincial capital. However, the action was stopped for unknown reasons.

Similar actions were also carried out in Peshawar and other districts against the ice dealers and usurers with lodging a large number of cases and arresting many people.

However, the police are to go a long way to eliminate the menace from society. A campaign was launched against festive firing in recent months but the practice is still endangering lives.