Mumbai Police: Circuit, Haddi, Hatela... Police update nicknames of criminals

MUMBAI: More than 158 gangsters or criminals, who are known by their nicknames or aliases in the crime world, have come under the police scanner. Their details are currently being collected by officers of eight police stations between Ghatkopar and Mulund, following a directive from their zonal deputy commissioner of police.

The police said criminals with aliases such as Circuit, Haddi, Hatela and Papa, among such others, are the more prominent nicknames on a database which is currently being prepared. A police officer from an east suburban police station said the DCP had ordered officials of each police station between Ghatkopar and Mulund to get hold of two criminals a day, and update the database. All such criminals have to present themselves at the police stations to update their aliases by which they are known in the crime world.

Rajendra Nikalje alias Chotta Rajan, Sheikh Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar alias Dawood Ibrahim are some of the most infamous gangsters to sport a nickname or a shortened name. "The nickname or alias is a 'degree' that criminals achieve after making it big in the crime world, in other words, after committing serious offences," said Sanjay Shintre, DCP (Zone VII). "The database is created by tracking down records of criminals who are absconding and have committed serious offences," said Shintre.

He said, "If our informant says the suspect's name is Circuit, we contact our officers and ask, 'You know a guy named Circuit?' What does he look like? Where does he live?' Then we figure out the suspect who is known by the name Circuit." He said the initiative has yielded resulted as the number of serious offences and housebreaking cases has fallen; 2,040 cases were registered between January 1 and August 25, 2011 against 2,289 in the corresponding period of the previous year.

An officer said, "The data includes their different nicknames, their current place of residence, the places they visit and the work they carry out daily for their livelihood."

He further said criminals get their nicknames changed each time they visit different jails after committing an offence. "Recently while updating the aliases, it was found that each criminal has at least four to five nicknames," the officer said.

The initiative has made many relocate their residence.

The police have been tracking nicknames for decades, typically collecting the names when criminals are arrested. "When investigators get a hit on the database, information about the suspect pops up, usually height, weight, address and criminal history, as well as a photo. Problems can arise when an informant identifies a suspect by a common nickname. To guard against picking up the wrong person, investigators check the suspect's physical description and address, pull a photo and go back to their source. The nickname, the officer said, is a starting point, not the foundation for a criminal prosecution.