Determined to counter the growing goonda menace in the city, the police have prepared a list of 25 frequent offenders who are suspected of having direct involvement in the planning and execution of a series of recent goonda attacks in Kozhikode district.
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Though more than 15 persons have already been nabbed, search is on to locate the identified ones in the list submitted by the Special Branch.
The police came up with a stringent action plan after officers on duty were allegedly attacked by gangsters. Three officers had sustained injuries in various incidents. A latest incident near the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital where goons attacked a jeep with petrol bomb also prompted the police to proceed with stern action.
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In all the recent cases, the police managed to track the involvement of goons in various drug trafficking, vehicle lifting, and other local theft cases. The rivalry between various gangs was also found fuelling the menace in the city.
“The organised gangs are reportedly having different names for coordinating their anti-social activities and attracting others to the group. Many are suspected to be drug addicts who also work as drug pushers for money,” said a police officer who was part of a recent raid to nab three suspects from their hide out in the city. He said the police could even expose some of the most frequented hide outs of such organised criminals for better vigil.
It was in 2014 that the police initiated a major step towards countering the goonda menace in Kozhikode city. The then District Police Chief had even constituted a special armed squad named ‘City Spiders’ to overpower the troublemakers on receiving distress calls. Though the six-member squad of officers trained in various martial arts was a success, it was disbanded within a few months of operation citing technical issues.