DJ Venkatesh
Port Blair, May 14: In yet another incident of loot, a Jarawa youth ran away with Rs. 20,000 cash from a tourist, who was crossing ATR in a tourist van and going towards North Andaman.
According to reports the incident happened on 12 May, nearly 20 KM away from Jirkatang check post, when a Jarawa youth reportedly came infornt of a tourist van with a Machete and asked the driver to stop the vehicle.
When the driver stopped the vehicle, the Jarawa youth, who has been identified as Topo, reportedly asked the driver to lower the glass or he threatened to break in open.
Out of fear when the driver opened the glass the Jarawa youth reportedly demanded for Zarda Pan and fresh water. When he did not get anything, the Jarawa youth started checking other things inside the vehicle and got a purse which was mistakenly kept inside the back seat pocket on the vehicle, by a tourist.
As per the driver, the purse contained Rs. 25,100 cash. The Jarawa youth reportedly took only 10 pink notes of Rs. 2000 ( total 20,000) and returned back the rest amount and purse to tourist and ran away.
The matter was informed to an IRBn Jawan who was in duty of guarding BSNL cable laying staffs and complaints were also subsequently registered at Jirkatang Jarawa Outpost and also at Middle Strait Jarawa outpost.
Meanwhile after the incident, when the vehicle reached Utara Jetty the driver got a call from police that cash or Rs. 4500 has been recovered from Jarawa youth. Surprisingly, the driver was told that from AAJVS the police received one Rs. 2000 note and five Rs. 500 notes. However while, loot, the Jarawa youth took only 10 Rs. 2000 notes.
Now the question arises from while recovering how AAJVS staffs got five number of Rs. 500 notes from the Jarawa youth? And where is the balance amount?
Highly placed sources told Andaman Sheekha that such incidents of loot, has become common in ATR and many do not complain to police out of fear that such complaints may boomerang.
Sources said that only a few AAJVS staffs have been posted in ATR, which is insufficient and these staffs are unable to guard the entire ATR stretch, which passes through Jarawa Tribal Reserve. Hence taking advantage of this situation Jarawa youths are committing loot in ATR. Moreover the vehicles of AAJVS are also kept static and lack of patrolling of AAJVS staffs also creates opportunity for such crimes.
The Administration must wake up before a major accident in ATR ( which passes through Jarawa Reserve area) or else tomorrow we might get news regarding Jarawa hit by Vehicles or Jarawa attacked tourists with weapons. Hopefully administration will take suitable action before it is too late.
