Police failed to act against Trans Security for violation
Mumbai : After the daylight robbery in Vile Parle on January 16, where Rs 2 crore was robbed from a cash van which was on its way to deposit money in an ATM, it has come to light that the Mumbai Police failed to take any action against the security agency that had hired the accused guard, although the agency was operating without a licence.
The joint commissioner of police (Administration), Vivek Phansalkar, said that police could take action against violators and unlicensed companies, but refused to comment on why Trans Security, the unlicensed security agency, was spared. Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria had said on January 17 that the company was not registered with the police and as such did not have a licence.
According to Phansalkar, when a particular security agency is found to be violating any of the provisions of the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act (PSARA), 2005, the information is relayed to him by the local police division and a show cause notice is sent to the security agency concerned. “Similarly, if a security agency is found to operate without a licence, requisite action is taken against it as it is illegal and only posing as a security agency,” Phansalkar said.
However, he did not comment on why Trans Security, whose security guards had planned and executed the Vile Parle robbery along with the driver of the cash van, was allowed to operate.
The president of Securities Association of India (SAI), Gurcharan Singh Chauhan too said that it was shocking that a multinational security agency was allowed to operate without a licence all this while.
“What is the point of having an Act if it is not going to be enforced? An illegal organisation is running in the city and it takes a daylight robbery for the law enforcers to realise that it never had a licence? Because of such companies even the licensed security agencies are harassed by the authorities,” Chauhan said.
According to Chauhan, there are around 2,000 registered security agencies working in Maharashtra and it is extremely important to regulate them and the others that will crop up to avoid incidents such as the one in Vile Parle. Chauhan also said that he was going to write to the state’s Home Department to try to bring in better regulation of security agencies in the state.
