Binu Pappachan, the gangster at the centre of Tuesday’s police raid, apparently migrated from Kerala to Chennai at a young age, and came to live in Vinayagapuram, Choolaimedu. Beginning with petty offences, he went on to specialise in kidnappings, conducting kangaroo courts and burglaries, police said.
Binu’s record came to light after his escape on Tuesday night. Though the police were familiar with his recent criminal history, there were not too many cases registered against him in police station records, and they began digging into his past and came up with the details.
Shady dealings
He has been involved in several shady dealings but only a few cases are against his name in police records. Police are verifying his criminal antecedents now. A police officer said he was cited as an accused in three murder cases. In these cases, he was suspected to have cut off the heads of his victims and damaged them beyond recognition.
Head hunter
His nickname in the circuit is ‘Thalaivetti’ Binu. After he murdered three history-sheeters, he came to lead their gangs, police added.
He was cited as the main accused in a murder case registered by the Poonamallee police in 2013. He was inactive for sometime due to ill-health. However, he continued to be a consultant, and had his tasks executed by hiring criminals.
