The Police Department is preparing a list of criminals who had amassed wealth and properties by resorting to extortion and will initiate measures to confiscate them. The action comes close on the heels of the custodial interrogation of ‘Murder’ Manikandan, a life convict for his alleged involvement in an extortion racket recently.
A senior police official said that Manikandan, lodged in the Kalapet Central Prison, had directed a gang to extort money from businessmen. Sustained interrogation of Manikandan revealed that he had amassed wealth and property in the city by resorting to extortion. The police have recovered the documents of all the properties.
Most of the properties were forcibly snatched from people. All these properties would be treated as case properties and the police had initiated steps to confiscate them. The bank accounts of the accused would also be frozen, the official said.
The incident has sounded the alarm on the murky business of extortion by criminals thriving in the city prompting the police to prepare the list of all anti-socials. The list of criminals who had amassed wealth is being prepared and steps would be initiated to confiscate them.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Law and Order) Rajiv Ranjan said that there were people who were resorting to extortion by creating fear. The police would not let such criminals thrive, he added.
If the investigation proved that the wealth acquired by criminal means it would be seized. The police would unearth the properties of all criminals to find out how much had been amassed from the proceeds of crime, he said.
Mr. Ranjan said that the police were waging a war against criminals in Puducherry and had already launched a crackdown on illegal lottery and banned tobacco products.
Appeal to public
He appealed to the people to come forward without any fear to lodge complaints on extortion. The police would take firm action, he said.
The police would also be initiating externment proceedings against 60 notorious rowdies under Section 144 of the CrPC.
‘We are waging war and the clampdown on illegal lottery and banned tobacco products is part of it’
