Girls' squad helps police bust sword smuggling ring in MP's Gautampura

INDORE: When a teenaged girl marched into Gautampura police station with key information about weapons being stored in nearby jungles, the policemen could not comprehend that it would open doors for busting a major arms racket.Following on the leads provided by the girl, Gautampura police on Monday recovered 305 swords from a group of men trying to smuggle them to Indore.The informant was no ordinary girl, but a member of 'Samarth Sangini' - an all-woman squad formed by station in charge and IPS officer Ashutosh Bagri - to help in regular policing."The girls have started developing their own sources. One of them received information about a group of men hoarding the swords in jungles near Ambalia village. We followed it up and busted the gang," Bagri told TOI.The police team, accompanied by the members of Samarth Sangini, raided the jungles and caught hold of one Narsingh of Sujana tehsil in Mandsaur district. Five others fled the spot.The accused had been smuggling arms to various locations, including Indore in the past. "We were of the view that they might be carrying around 100 swords. But the quantity shocked us," said Bagri.The police were in the process of ascertaining whether the swords were being delivered to a particular buyer or a group. "We are investigating all possible angles," he said.The seizure is considered to be a major success for the 17-member girls' squad that was primarily formed to help police tackle petty crimes in the area and generate awareness on social issues like alcoholism.But since Gautampura police station lacks women constables, the girls have been assisting the police. The squad members are mostly schoolgirls, who patrol the police station area in camouflage.The girls, most of who plan to join the Indian Police Services, meet every morning for training, ranging from physical exercises to class on rights of citizens. In the evening, they hold roll call alongside the personnel of Gautampura police station.Recently, the girls helped stop a mining operation and seized an earth-moving machine, said Bagri, adding, they also held police free a crematorium encroached upon by women of an influential family.