IT City a haven for criminals

Ambarish B / TNN / Jul 24, 2007, 02:57 IST

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Of late, there hasn’t been a case of underworld criminals taking refuge here, but the police now have to be wary of educated youth getting involved in terror organisations.

BANGALORE: When the Mumbai police arrested Rajesh Jham, a close aide of Chhota Rajan in Bangalore, it fuelled the debate yet again. Is Bangalore becoming a haven for criminals? It appears so, more so with the entry of educated people in terror plots.
The city first got this ‘safe hideout’ tag in 1991 when Sivarasan and his LTTE associates took shelter in Konanakunte after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.They rented a house and spent over two months before NSG personnel stormed the house.
Since then, the police have been looking for criminals on the run in Bangalore. Men in khaki from neighbouring states have come here often in search of extremists and even Naxals. It is feared that Naxals continue to take shelter on the outskirts.
Of late, there hasn’t been a case of underworld criminals taking refuge here, but the police now have to be wary of educated youth getting involved in terror organisations.

For instance, the Mumbai police arrested Mujamil Sheikh, an accused in the Mumbai train blast case, in the city. He was working in a BPO.
"Ten years ago, the scenario was entirely different. When criminals took shelter, their suspicious movement gave us leads. However, in today’s scenario, a youth produces genuine documents establishing that he works for an MNC or a BPO. No landlord will turn away such people," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Gopal B Hosur explained.
LTTE sympathisers are also feared to have settled on the city’s outskirts. The methods used by Naxals and other extremist organisations have been similar to that of terrorist outfits. "Even Naxal and other extremist outfits have educated youths as operatives and they work in the city and stay in rented houses. The landlords should keep a vigil on their tenants, especially their working hours, friends they meet and other unusual activities," police officials explained.

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