A special team of the police has arrested gangster Kalvettu Ravi, who is a BJP member, at gunpoint in Andhra Pradesh. He was wanted in connection with two cases of attempt to murder.
Kalvettu Ravi, alias Ravishankar, 31, joined the BJP along with his associates in August last year. His entry into the party drew criticism on social media.
Ravi is a resident of VOC Nagar. In the initial years, he was a close aide of the then gangster Malaikan Selvam and had taken to petty crime. He gained notoriety after he was involved in murders, including that of DMK functionary Othavadai Shanmugam a few years ago, the police said.
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The police had been maintaining a history sheet against Ravi for more than 10 years. He has been classified as a notorious gangster in the department’s A+ category criminal list. He was detained under the Goondas Act in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017. While he was acquitted of murder charges in two cases, he has been facing trial in two other murder cases. He has 13 criminal cases for extortion, attempt to murder and criminal intimidation.
Ravi and another anti-social element ‘Kakka Thoppu’ Balaji were at loggerheads over collecting protection money in north Chennai. Later, they ganged up against another gangster Sambavam Senthil.
Even after joining the BJP, Ravi continued with his criminal activities, the police said. A court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him. He was wanted in two criminal cases of attempt to murder. He was rounded up by a special team at an undisclosed location in Andhra Pradesh and was brought to the city, the police said.
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