Extortion by goons forces car washers, newspaper hawkers to leave jobs in Gurgaon

Several people working as car washers and newspaper hawkers in posh residential societies here have been forced to leave their jobs due to extortion by local goons, claimed residents on Sunday.

Around 20 representatives of various residents welfare associations (RWAs) here raised the issue with a Haryana minister and police in the last few weeks, they claimed.

Residents also approached local Member of Parliament and Union Minister Rao Inderjeet Singh.

The representatives alleged that the strongmen from nearby villages are forcing the car washers and newspaper hawkers to pay a part of their income to them.

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Gurgaon Police PRO Subhash Bokan said, “The matter has come before the department and we have enhanced police patrolling in the region.”

The residents claimed this problem is being faced by employees working in the area between sector 103 and 109 having number of residential complexes.

Sneha Mittal, a representative of the residents welfare association of Raheja Atharva in sector 109 on Dwarka expressway, said her car washer left the job recently alleging that local goons are extorting money from him.

“The car washer, who hailed from Nepal, told me that the strongmen from nearby villages are extorting money from him and others doing similar work here,” she said.

The representatives claimed that the goons wait on motorcycles outside the residential colonies and do not let the car washers and newspaper hawkers enter if they refuse to pay the extortion money.

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This has triggered fear among the people doing such work and forced them to leave their jobs, they claimed.

The goons are also forcing them to work as their employees in a bid to control these businesses, the representatives said.

Another resident of the area, Biswajeet Mohanty, claimed, “As the matter is related to security, we have given a written complaint at the Bajghera police station but the official concerned expressed helplessness in registering an FIR in this matter.”

“The SHO, however, assured us that police presence in the area will be enhanced... one or two policemen visited occasionally but that is not enough to maintain law and order,” he said.

Chain snatching and loot incidents have instilled a sense of fear among the residents who are now afraid to venture out of the societies.       

“I went to pick my son from his school a week ago when some persons on bikes snatched my gold chain. That made me afraid and now I am forced to ply in car despite the school is at a walking distance from my residential society,” said Susmita Sehgal, another resident.

The affected residents have brought the matter into notice of local administration in the last one month and during monthly meeting of grievance committee held in sector 44 on Saturday.

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The residents claimed the meeting was chaired by state PWD Minister Rao Narbir Singh and Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon commissioner Yashpal Yadav and DCPs of every zone were present.

They assured residents that adequate measures will be taken to resolve the issue, the representatives said.