KOLKATA: Hours after the city’s first all-women police patrol squad on two-wheelers hit the streets of Kolkata, it caught six youths allegedly harassing women in front of Victoria Memorial Hall and Birla Planetarium on Thursday morning. The accused were allegedly pestering their victims for their contact numbers or names so that they could befriend them on Facebook when the Winners, as the cop squad has been named, nabbed them during a raid on the area.“The accused were handed over to the local police stations,” said DC (south) Meeraj Khalid. Images from CCTV cameras in the areas will be checked to frame watertight cases against the accused, the police said.The squad, comprising 20 women, most of them sub-inspectors, was flagged off by police chief Rajeev Kumar at Lalbazar on Wednesday. Additional DCP Aparajita Rai, who will command the squad, was also present.The all-women team would patrol the streets on their two-wheelers to combat and prevent crimes, such as molestation, harassment, and also snatching, to make public places safer for women, said a senior Lalbazar officer. On the first day of their duty on Thursday, most of the officers from the squad were stationed near girls’ schools and colleges, besides popular spots, such as the Lake, Maidan and shopping malls. The police said that initially, the Winners might work in south Kolkata, but they will soon be posted elsewhere. “As it was the first day, the 20 officers stayed close to one another. But once they gain some experience, we plan to split them up and send them to different spots,” said a senior officer.One of the Winners members, posted in front of Loreto House off Park Street, said, “Currently, we have been assigned jobs in front of girls’ schools and colleges to ensure the students are not harassed. Our primary duty is to protect women and girls from predators and make them feel safe.”The Winners squad was launched following demands for female sergeants. The city currently has eight all-women police stations, one in each division under Lalbazar, except in the East division, which was created recently. These police stations have been set up for effective and sensitive handling of complaints about crimes against women.

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