TV serials ‘source’ of learning for many criminals

"The elaborate graphic display teaches the criminals what to do and what not to do, and how to evade the police net."

Durga Venkata Vara Prasad alias Venkat (27), the accused in Monday’s sensational double murder case at Satyanarayanapuram learnt the methods of committing the crime after watching late-night crime-related programmes aired by various television channels. He revealed this aspect during the course of his interrogation by the Vijayawada police.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police M. Ravi Prakash, crime related programmes are like double-edged sword.

“On one side it teaches how to protect oneself and on the other tell criminals how to do it. The elaborate graphic display teaches the criminals - what to do and what not to do - and how to evade the police net,” he said.

Venkat, who allegedly killed Ch.Punnyavati (57) and her 13-year-old granddaughter Ch. Sai Chandrika, tried his best to dodge the investigation.

To wipe out evidences like fingerprint he tried to wear socks on his hands, but due to some reasons the ploy failed and he revealed that he had learnt the technique from a crime serial. “Further to wipe out other evidences such as blood stains, he directly went to the Krishna River ghat to take a bath. But unfortunately even that failed. On questioning why he had done so, he said that he had learnt it from a TV show,” said Mr. Ravi Prakash. The investigating officers also said that the accused had revealed that he had also learnt how to fatally use a knife, said the DCP.

This is not just one stray case where the police had stumbled upon criminals who revealed that they learnt the modus operandi from TV serials.

It may be remembered that a couple of months ago in another sensational robbery and murder case in Rajahmundry where a security guard was murdered and about Rs.7 crore belonging to a bank was robbed, the criminals sprayed chilly and pepper powder to avoid detection by the sniffer dogs.