Madurai
The arrest of S. Kalimuthu alias Vellai Kali (32) with 25 kg ganja is a shot in the arm of Madurai city police who have been on the lookout for the notorious gangster in a murder case since April 2019.
Acting on a tip-off, the police intercepted a car in which Kali was travelling with a few of his associates near Theni Main Road-Mudakku Salai junction on Sunday afternoon. While the police managed to arrest two others with him, two others — Agori Karthik and Dori Mari — escaped.
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The police also seized 25 kg ganja that was reportedly brought from Tenkasi. The police said Kalimuthu was accused in more than 25 cases, including murder and attempt to murder, in Madurai and Ramanathapuram districts.
He was wanted in connection with the April 2019 murder of M.S. Pandian, son-in-law of his rival V.K. Gurusamy. “He has been a major cause of law and order problem in the city. He was also heading a gang that was involved in extortion of mamool in the city, especially from ricemill owners,” a senior police officer said.
Now the police are on the task of identifying his accomplices who were involved in mamool collection for him.
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“These people were operating boldly threatening people in the name of Vellai Kali. This being a major source of income for the gangsters, apprehending those people will disintegrate the gang,” the officer said.
Stating that getting bail in the ganja case, in which commercial quantity of the narcotics substance had been seized, was remote, the police said Vellai Kali would have to spend a considerable time in prison.
The police are also planning to expedite the legal process in the murder cases against Kali, who is the nephew of former Corporation Zonal Chairperson Rajapandi of AIADMK.
A simmering rivalry between Rajapandi and Gurusamy of the DMK has claimed more than a dozen lives in Madurai.