The city police, acting sternly, have started booking criminals and anti-socials to ensure that gang rivalry does not claim any more lives.
As many as 200 persons, including those in the Goonda and anti-social lists, were apprehended by the cops over the past two weeks, especially against the backdrop of the Nedumcaud murder, in which a tipper lorry driver was hacked to death by a gang.
“We have intensified the steps to curtail, if not finish off, the activities of the criminal gangs,” said City Police Commissioner T J Jose. Night-combing, which used to be carried out once a month in the city limits, is now being done frequently.
“This has turned out to be very effective. Now, no one can evade our net,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Putta Vimaladitya.
The police top brass also claim that gang rivalry has almost come to an end in the city. According to them, the murder of Saji, an aide of gangster Choozhattukotta Ambili, could not be counted as a reflection of the increasing rivalry between gangsters. “We have been keeping the goondas under close surveillance and brawls arising out of group rivalry are almost nil,” claimed the city police chief.
Moreover, the police are also curbing illegal activities like sand mining which give birth to criminals. On Wednesday, Ramesh alias Koodam Maniyan of Thrikkannapuram, allegedly engaged in sand mining for long, was held by the police. On Tuesday, a five-member robbery gang was arrested under the city police limits. In the combing conducted on Saturday, as many as 160 persons included in the goonda and anti-social lists were taken into custody.
Now, the cops are laying stress on giving their best during the prosecution procedures of the criminal cases.
“In the trial of the murder cases of Kannadi Shaji and Aprani Krishnakumar, the police are providing the best of cooperation,” said the DCP.
The police also point out that the number of arrests under the Kerala Anti-social Activities Prevention Act (KAPPA) is also increasing as the District Collector, who has the authority to give orders to detain someone under the Act, has resumed office after two months. With the Collector starting to issue orders on the pending files, the number goondas nabbed under the Act has increased, which the police consider helpful at a time when gang rivalry has claimed a life.
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