NAGPUR: Before he became a police mukbhir, or informer, his path crossed the law as a murderer early this decade. The current path he has chosen to tread, says 27-year-old Pathan (name changed) - an informer TOI met - is like walking on a double-edged sword. "It's more dramatic and complex than what a Bollywood script can offer," he says.
Informers like Pathan are punters, according to police, who risk their lives to provide tip-offs in exchange of a small payment or some other gain.
Pathan's life as a criminal - he claims to have been acquitted of the murder charges - began at the city's red-light area Ganga Jamuna. He has not seen Mani Shanker's recently released flick, 'Mukhbir', as the film has been released elsewhere in the country barring Nagpur. But, Pathan said that he is living it every moment. On the basis of information from punters or mukhbirs like Pathan, police often win rewards. But the Pathans remain hidden from public glare.
Pathan, who also operates a business (cannot be disclosed) in Ganga Jamuna, is one of the most well-connected informers of the red-light area. Working on Pathan's inputs, police have netted several criminals, seized arms and weapons from Ganga Jamuna, where most of the criminals have their own 'dens'.
"One hardly becomes an informer by choice. Great care has to be taken so that we are not exposed," said Pathan. "We get around Rs 500-1,000 from the police but that is peanuts compared to the risk we take and the danger we are always in."
Pathan stepped into the world of crime after committing his first revenge murder in 2000. He was arrested subsequently and life has never been the same later.
"I had to remain friends with the police to ensure that I was not targeted every time a crime takes place in my area. My family members were also under pressure," said Pathan, who claimed that no place in the city is safe for him. "I have to remain alert always. I keep changing my location frequently. I cannot keep anything (weapons) for my protection as that would attract legal action again, yet I cannot go around empty-handed all the time too."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nagpur/An_encounter_with_Nagpurs_mukhbir/articleshow/3429908.cms
