The residents of Nandi are calling on the government to intervene and help the rising cases of illicit trade, drugs influx and adulterated alcohol in the area that has led to a spike in crime in the area.
They argue that a gang of extortionists has emerged in the area and has been controlling the illicit trade and harassing the residents, especially the youth and women.
“In this region, there are different gangs. There are those dealing in illicit alcohol, peddling of bhang and extortion,” a resident told a local TV station on Friday, March 4.
Most of the affected residents are those living near the Nandi Forest, which the gangs have turned into their homes.
The residents argue that they cannot set foot in the forest to search pasture for their animals or fetch firewood as the gangs terrorise them.
Their close proximity to the forest has made them vulnerable easy targets of harassment, with their livestock being killed as retaliation to periodic crackdown by the village elders and security officers.
"The resident whose cows have been killed was an easy target since he lives close to forest. The gangs use the forest as the hub for manufacturing their illicit brews and hiding other illegal substances," another resident told the press.
The residents further argue that the gang has been defiling school going children with the cases of teen pregnancies in the area rising sharply over the years.
“Our school children have dropped out of school due to drugs, and early pregnancies which have increased with the circulation of illicit alcohol in the area also going up sharply.”
The residents are overwhelmed by the operations of the gang members and hope the government will take note of their grievances and deploy more police officers in the region.
