Jaipur: Rajasthan Police in Jhalawar registered five FIRs without waiting for formal complaints in cases involving the alleged murder of a woman, stalking and obscene acts against women, and trafficking and exploitation of minor girls, according to district police records.SP Amit Kumar said that in these cases filed in the span of the past eight months, police themselves became complainants after receiving information through patrols, intelligence inputs, media reports and technical evidence. “The crimes against women and children can remain unreported when victims or their families are unwilling or unable to approach police because of fear, social stigma or family pressure; that is the reason we decided to file FIRs on a suo moto basis,” he said.In one case, the death of a 27-year-old woman was initially treated as an accidental fall from stairs. Neither her parental nor marital family lodged a complaint alleging murder. Police, however, found discrepancies at the scene and registered an FIR. A postmortem found 19 injuries on her body. Investigators subsequently examined CCTV footage and call-detail records and carried out a forensic reconstruction of the incident.In another case, police received information that women were being stalked and subjected to obscene acts but were unwilling to complain because of social stigma. Investigators obtained a video of the alleged acts, traced the suspect through his scooter registration number and registered the case after the SHO became the complainant.A third case followed a newspaper report about the alleged buying and selling of girls. Police said the investigation led to the detection of an interstate human-trafficking network in which girls were allegedly pushed into commercial sexual exploitation. Twenty-five girls, including 14 minors, were rescued and 12 accused arrested, according to police.In another case, police received information that a 14-year-old girl from Bihar, allegedly brought to Rajasthan in the name of marriage, was being taken away. Officers pursued the vehicle and stopped it with the help of villagers. The investigation allegedly uncovered a network involved in the buying and selling of girls. Police also found forged documents allegedly used to change the minor’s age and identity.The police report states that cases resulted in more than 20 arrests and the rescue or recovery of more than 29 women and girls.Kumar said that the cases also highlight a practical difficulty in dealing with crimes against women and children: in some instances, police may receive information about an offence without having a victim or family member willing to formally report it. In such cases, the Jhalawar cases show police proceeding on the basis of information and evidence available to them rather than waiting for a complaint.
