Special police team formed to ‘cleanse’ the district from criminals

The district police have formed an elite special team to crackdown on drug traffickers, bootleggers, those engaged in illegal sand mining and accused who have absconded after committing grave crimes.

After the coastal district witnessed a spurt in sale of ganja, smuggling of drugs to Sri Lankan through sea route and reports that bootleggers were engaged in illegal sale of liquor after purchasing them in bulk in TASMAC shops, Superintendent of Police N. Manivannan has formed the team to ‘cleanse’ the district from criminals.

The seven-member special team, headed by a Sub Inspector of Police, would function under the direct control of the SP and under the supervision of Special Branch Inspector of Police L. Balamurugan. The team, with full infrastructure facilities, has been empowered to visit any part of the district to crackdown on criminals, the SP said.

As the team has been given a free hand to visit any police sub division in the district, Deputy Superintendents of Police, heading the divisions have geared up and stepped up the vigil, police said.

After the team was formed on February 18, it has registered 12 FIRs and arrested some notorious criminals in Uchipuli, Mandapam, RS Mangalam, CK Mangalam and Valantharavai, police said. The team has seized about two kgs of ganja and more than 250 liquor bottles in the last two days. “The team is functioning excellently and it will continue the operation till the desired objective is achieved,” the SP said.

The modus operandi of the bootleggers was that they would purchase liquor bottles in bulk from TASMAC shops and sell them at premium rates in areas, where tipplers had no easy access to TASMAC shops, police said. Most of the bootleggers were acting as drug peddlers and all those arrested were remanded in judicial custody, police said. L Magendran, of Valantharavai, a notorious criminal facing more than dozen cases was among those arrested by the special team, police said.

Taking a cue, the Prohibition and Enforcement Wing (PEW) has also launched surprise checks, visiting licensed bars operating beyond permitted timings and shops which sold liquor to bootleggers. The wing has recommended to the SP to cancel licenses of three such bars in Paramakudi, Additional SP S Vellaidurai said.