With city police recently intensifying crackdown of local gangs indulging in organised crime here, one of their biggest challenges would be to pin-down gangsters from other districts of the State coming into Chennai to carry out ‘assignments.’ The visitors, said to be most notorious by investigators are suspected to be operating with illegal firearms and country bombs.
Enumerating the rowdy elements active in Chennai, the freshly formed Anti-Gangster Operations Squad of the Central Crime Branch had created a separate list of gangsters from other districts who are known to be operating in the city with the help of local gangs. “Following specific intelligence input we have listed out over 10 hardcore gangs who had and still suspecting to be indulging in organised crime and real estate dealings in city limits. We are monitoring their movements and their contacts here through informants and other sources,” said an investigating officer.
Tuticorin-based gangster Thambi Raja alias Raja Prince alias Goldwin tops the notoriety list as intelligence inputs reads that he possesses a country-made pistol and his gang members possibly armed with country bombs. “Even though he has only a murder case here in 1999, we suspect he has been frequenting Chennai and his accomplices here completing assignments. So are others in the list. These men may have also indulged in extortion and other crimes here but we have no complaints till now,” the officer added.
Outside gangsters get acquainted to homeboys usually through prison camaraderie, community bonding and also through mutual crime assists. Local gangsters deploy their outstation counterparts for crime for gain in the city in order to avoid being detected by local police, sources added.
City police has asked denizens affected by these gangsters to come forward and lodge complaint with the Office of the Commissioner of Police and investigators have assured that the complainant’s identity will remain confidential.
