The Madurai District and City police have identified eight gangs involved in revenge murders, and planned several measures to check the activities of these gangs, each of which is involved in five to six cases of murder and attempt-to-murder.
Police officers led by Superintendent of Police V.Balakrishnan, and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Madurai City Sawant Rohan Rajendra participated in a coordination meeting at the District Police Office on Saturday in view of the two revenge murders that happened within three days this week.
After the meeting, Mr.Balakrishnan said the meeting helped the police officials know about the gang members and their activities in their jurisdictions.
“The composition of the gangs involved in criminal cases in the City and District police limits differed. This meeting helped us share information on them,” he told The Hindu .
The police shared information on the criminals’ family members, accomplices, hideouts, the political patronage they enjoy and the way they make money.
Stating that the murder accused on bail turned into goondas, the SP said they became dreaded anti-social elements and the people approached them for out-of-court settlement of disputes.
Extortion
“They run kangaroo courts and extort money not only to run their families, but also to face court cases and maintain armed gangs around them for protection,” he said.
The gangs often turned into contract killers and operated in other districts to earn easy money, he noted.
The police would identify their illegal sources of income and check them in order to prevent the gangs from committing crimes, especially revenge murders, he said.
“The details of the assets in their names and their benamis’ names will be identified. Efforts will be taken to attach the illegally acquired properties,” he added.
The police also identified two persons who have been operating from prison with the help of their aides.
The police of both the units have decided to inform each other of the bail hearings of the criminals to enable them present in a better way the complete background of the accused in the court and prevent them from getting bail.
The meeting helped the police identify the regular hideouts of the criminals such as the bushy Vaigai riverbed downstream Anna Nagar, the railway track between Anupanadi Housing Board and Keeraithurai and unoccupied houses in Tamil Nadu Housing Board Colony in Villapuram.
The police would ask the authorities concerned to clean up these areas, and would conduct combing operations at periodical intervals.
