Mokokchung, September 2 (MTNews): Nagaland recorded zero alert signal uploads in the Crime Multi Agency Centre (Cri-MAC) which was launched in 2020 by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to share information on crime and criminals 24×7 with various law enforcement agencies and ensure a seamless flow of information among them.
According to reports, at least seven states and one union territory, including West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Sikkim, as well as the Union Territories of Dadra, Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu, have turned their backs on the Centre’s online platform by failing to upload a single alert on the Cri-Mac portal. While Delhi, Assam, and Haryana posted the most warnings on the platform, they contained information on the release of a hardcore criminal from prison or an event of terror, murder, or dacoity, among other things.
As of July 1, the portal has 35,145 alerts, despite the fact that the country has 16,361 police stations.
The portal was meant to share information and coordinate action among law enforcement agencies on serious criminal incidents, including human trafficking. The application run by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) also aims to help in early detection and prevention of crime incidents across the country.
The MHA met with State nodal officers to discuss measures to combat human trafficking on August 17 and urged States to use the information technology intervention Cri-MAC during the conference to coordinate sharing of inputs and warnings on trafficking incidents.
According to the MHA, “Cri-MAC facilitates dissemination of information about significant crimes, including human trafficking across the country on real-time basis and enables inter-State coordination. This can, inter-alia, help in locating and identifying the trafficked victims as also in prevention, detection and investigation of crime”, The Hindu reported.
In a presentation to States, the MHA said the Government of India recognizes that human trafficking is a grave crime and attaches high importance to the efforts directed at preventing and countering it. It said human trafficking was a highly organized crime often involving inter-State gangs and by Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code was substituted with a modified Section 370 and a new Section 370 A was also inserted.
“These Sections provide comprehensive definition of human trafficking and also provide for strict punishment to be awarded to the offenders for exploitation of a trafficked person,” the Ministry said.
The MHA issued a warning that some police agencies fail to report incidents of human trafficking under Sections 370/370A of the IPC and urged States to make the best use of the criminal Sections.
It advised States to train and educate police officers stationed at bus terminals, train stations, state borders, etc. to be alert for unusual activity and people.
“The Ministry of Labor and Employment is requested to sensitize officers of the Labor Department of all States and Union Territories for keeping a close watch on the activities of suspicious placement agencies,” the MHA said.