New Delhi:
She was out to have a good time, but getting chased by a Police Control Room (PCR) van can't have figured in 16-year-old Neha's (name changed) plans on Saturday. The teenager landed in trouble after Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel spotted her clicking pictures of 7 Race Course Road, the Prime Minister's residence, from inside her car. Neha was travelling around the city with her family.
When SPG officials spotted Neha's activities they informed the police. The girl's family drove their car towards south Delhi fearing arrest. They were chased by the cops and were finally intercepted by Safdarjung police after they got a message on their wireless about the incident. The girl and her family were set free after questioning.
"We came to know that they were only clicking pictures and we set them free as they did not commit any crime," said a senior police official.
The official said that the girl, Neha is from Nadia district of West Bengal. Her elder brother, Gautam Vishwas, a government teacher, had an eye infection. The family had come to the Capital for his treatment. Gautam was kept at the AIIMS Trauma Centre and was discharged on Friday.
"The family had come to Delhi around four days ago. On Saturday, the family decided to visit the Birla temple and some other landmarks of the city. They hired a Tata Indica from a travel agency and after roaming around the Capital, reached the PM's house at around 3.30 pm. Neha fished out her mobile and began clicking pictures," said the police official.
He added that SPG officials thought something was amiss and made a call on PCR. They asked Neha and her family to come out of the car, but instead they fled from the scene. "They had done nothing and so cops did not take action against them," added a senior police official.
The 10 acre Prime Minister's residence was built in the 1980s. It does not have his office inside the house, but has a conference room for informal meetings. The 3, Race Course Road is the Private Residential Zone for the Prime Minister, though he operates from 7 Race Course Road.
The Special Protection Group (SPG) is the executive protection agency of the Government of India. It is responsible for the protection of the Prime Minister, ex-Prime Ministers, and their immediate families.
The force was established in 1985 after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The Special Protection Group has about 3,000 personnel. Recruits are drawn from police forces as well as National Security Guard commandos, who undergo training similar to that conducted by the United States Secret Service. The officer cadre is mainly IPS officers from various state/central cadre.