Vizag Central Jail, hub for gang formation

‘Chances of remand prisoners forming a gang are high’

A file photo of inmates of the Central jail, Visakhaptnam, enjoying a cricket match.

In the last week of March, the City Task Force (CTF) of the Visakhapatnam police arrested an eight-member inter-State gang, including four from Bihar, and recovered four country-made semi-automatic .32 pistols, 50 rounds of .32 calibre and 8 magazine clips. This gang was headed by D. Raju, a resident of Narsipatnam, and Karanam Ravindra Babu, an ex-serviceman and a native of Srikakulam.

In the first week of March, the police arrested Yendeti Ganga alias Kumari, her husband, Kosaraju Narasimha Rao alias Shiva, and two other members of the gang, allegedly involved in over 40 major property offences.

While Raju and Ravindra Babu were allegedly involved in ganja and narcotics smuggling, Ganga and her husband were property offenders. Though their

modus operandi and nature of crime differed, there is a striking similarity between both the gangs. The members of both gangs, met in central jail and reportedly forged a bonding on common grounds to form a gang once out of the jail.

According to ACP of CTF I. Chittibabu, 80% of the gangs have their roots in the jail. “In the crime world, a gang is more powerful than being a lone wolf, said the ACP.

The chances of remand prisoners forming a gang are high, as they are there for a short period ranging from a week to three months, and they are not fully exposed to the long-term reforms of the prison. But in the case of convicts, it is different, and the chances of reformation is high, said Superintendent of Central Prison, Visakhapatnam, Indla Srinivasa Rao.