Cops on 'machans' to fight snatchers on Vikas Marg

A pistol-wielding cop perched on a raised platform, a ‘machan’ of sorts. This is a Delhi Police measure to tackle rising incidents of snatching and robbery on a stretch of road just after the Yamuna Bridge ends.

The “dangerous” spot extends up to the beginning of Laxmi Nagar on Vikas Marg.
Autorickshaw passengers and people on foot on this relatively lonely stretch, close to the Yamuna riverbed, have complained about motorcycle-borne men snatching handbags and necklaces.

“I, my wife and my brother were travelling on an auto from Kashmere Gate bus station today. As we reached the loop of the flyover, two bike-borne men who were following us from a distance, rode near us, and before we could suspect anything the pillion rider snatched the purse from my wife’s hands,” said Gopal, a complainant.

Gopal got off from the autorickshaw and spotted the police ‘machan’ a few metres away. He narrated the incident to the constable there who immediately informed a police control room van stationed nearby.

The constable then took Gopal to the Shakarpur police station on his motorcycle to get the FIR registered.  

“The basic idea is to instill confidence in the public and make the visibility of police
more prominent,” said Rishipal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East).

There are also complaints that accident victims on this stretch of road don’t help in time.

“A PCR van with first aid kit is also stationed here to take care of any untoward incident, including accidents,” said a senior police officer.

The ‘machans’ are manned from 11 am to 11 pm every day. A constable spends two hour on the raised platform before being replaced by a colleague. The ‘machans’, about three feet above ground and equipped with CCTV cameras to record any untoward incident.