The announcement of cash rewards to all police personnel helping the operation to nab ‘Police’ Fakruddin, Bilal Malik and Panna Ismail by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has resurrected lost enthusiasm among police personnel attached to various intelligence and investigation agencies shadowing terror suspects in southern districts for years.
The Chief Minister had on Monday made a second announcement of rewards that varied between Rs.1 lakh (to 245 personnel) and Rs.5 lakh for two head constables from Madurai, attached to the Special Intelligence Unit and Special Investigation Team.
K. Mariappan of the SIT and M. Vijayaperumal of the SIU were rewarded for their persuasive work that brought out the three terror suspects from their hideout in Puttur in Andhra Pradesh.
“The State government has recognised our services. This will go a long way in encouraging us to work with more enthusiasm,” a police man, who wished anonymity, told The Hindu.
Stating that the police were initially disappointed over being left out for the rewards, he said, the Chief Minister had surprised all by acting swiftly to address their concerns.
The government’s gesture would attract more youngsters in the police department to come forward and take up assignments in the intelligence wings, he said.
SIU Inspectors of Police S. Ramamoorthy (Madurai) and P. Pandarinathan (Tirunelveli) were rewarded for their timely intelligence inputs that led to the arrest of the three terror suspects, who were wanted in connection with a few murder cases and also for allegedly planting bomb on the convoy route of BJP leader L.K. Advani near Madurai in 2011.
