A special combing drive to keep the law and order situation under control ahead of the April 10 Lok Sabha elections saw three men, all notorious lawbreakers, being arrested by the city police under provisions of the Kerala Anti-social Activities (Prevention) Act [KAAPA] on Thursday.
Shibu alias Pullukadu Shibu, for whom a KAAPA warrant was already issued by the District Collector, was nabbed by the Thumba police; Pradeep alias Patthu was caught by the Vanchiyoor police; and Prabulraj alias Prabulan was nabbed by the Peroorkada police. The drive was supervised by City Police Commissioner H. Venkatesh and Deputy Commissioner S. Ajeetha Begum, said an official release.
This, Mr. Venkatesh said, had taken the number of arrests under KAAPA to eight after the launch of combing drives in connection with the elections. The others who were earlier held under the Act were Prakash alias Maranam Prakash (Peroorkada), Richardson Gomez (Valiathura), Kakkottu Manoj (Mannanthala), Harilal alias Chakku, and Kulathil Satheeshan (both from Mannanthala).
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Pullukadu Shibu, police said, was an accused in several theft, snatching, burglary, and attempt-to-murder cases, most of which were still under investigation in the Thumba police station limits. Detention orders under KAAPA were issued against his name in 2008 and 2010 and he had gone into hiding after the order in 2010.
He had surrendered before court in 2013. Released on bail in January this year, he had allegedly led a gang that forcibly tried to take money from one Sanoufer near Akkulam.
Patthu Pradeep, who was released in 2012 after being detained under KAAPA, has eight cases registered against him from 2009 onwards at the Vanchiyoor police station. Allegedly involved in an attempt to murder another known goon Renjith alias Chukran Renjith of Palkulangara, Pradeep had got wind of the police drive and was traced to a hideout on Thursday noon.
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Prabulraj had begun his ‘criminal activities’ along with notorious criminal Kannadi Shaji and had ‘migrated’ to the gang of Kulathil Satheeshan after the death of Shaji. Known for brutally injuring his victims, his involvement, along with Satheeshan, in the attack of a person in January this year had made the police look at detaining him under KAAPA. Prabulraj has five cases registered against him at the Peroorkada station in 2013 alone.