Darakonda ghat road to get CCTV cameras

Visakhapatnam: In a move to trace the miscreants attacking travellers at Darakonda ghat road in GK Veedhi mandal wherein incidents of dacoity continue to take place, the district police are planning to install CCTV cameras along the route.

In addition to forming village squads to assist the cops in sharing information and keeping a tab on the stretch, the district police are considering to install CCTV cameras, including PTC cameras that offer a 360-degree view.

The recent rise in the number of incidents prompted the police to install the cameras and seek support of the locals in identifying the gang.

The 50-km-long stretch in GK Veedhi is a Maoist-affected area. Armed with country-made guns, those associated with the extremists used to threaten the travellers and take away valuables and cash from them at gunpoint. The dacoits, who have been identified as natives of Malkangiri district, Odisha, target the solo or small groups of travellers passing via Darakonda ghat road towards Sileru.

Lack of continuous presence of police patrolling is a major setback here. Inaccessibility is another challenge the police experience in reaching out to the ghat road. Three, along with maintaining law and order situation, facing Maoist threat is another constraint in the place. In the past three months, four dacoity cases were registered in GK Veedhi mandal.

With already three persons, including a woman, being arrested by the Visakhapatnam police, the department intends to intensify its surveillance with the assistance of the third eye. In a week's time, the cameras will be placed along the ghat road. "The main accused who leads the dacoity by tying up with two to three teams has been absconding. Our target is to nab him along with others involved in the offence," asserts B Krishna Rao, superintendent of police, Visakhapatnam district.

Sharing details further, Chintapalli ASP Vidhya Sagar Naidu says, "The offence is committed in a remote area which doesn't have any mobile connectivity wherein the gang finds it convenient to carry out robbery."

Utilising technology and locals' support, the police exude confidence that the rest of the gang will soon be nabbed.