Police launch drive to keep tabs on criminals

KOCHI: It is bad news for thugs and ruffians. The police have prepared a list of 90 persons with criminal background and have started summoning them to police stations to record statements and verify their recent activities.
This is being done as part of a special drive to keep people with criminal background in check by keeping a tab on their activities through surveillance.Notorious criminals like Priyan Palluruthy, Vaduthala Jaison, Thammanam Shaji, Kunjumon Moolakandam and six others were recently summoned to the police station as part of this drive.
Sources said Ernakulam range IG M R Ajith Kumar had asked the policemen to get cracking on this project. When contacted, Kumar said: "We are in the process of updating the data of persons involved in criminal activities." Sources said that those who are associated with criminals will also be called for questioning.
City police prepared a list of 90 persons after perusing their criminal activities in the recent period. While some of them, including Bhai Nazeer and his gang members and rival Maradu Aneesh are presently in prison, others are out on bail or acquitted by courts. The list also includes those who were involved in minor crimes and associated with persons with criminal background.
Police said that the drive was a continuous one and those in the list will be summoned again after the first round. "The purpose of the drive is to constantly monitor their activities," said a police officer.
Meanwhile, Kochi deputy commissioner R Nishanthini said the drive was conducted in a bid to keep track of wanted criminals. "We will trace their whereabouts and check their involvement in criminal activities. If it is found that anyone is frequently involved in criminal activities, then Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAPA) will be invoked against them."
Last year, the city had witnessed fights between Maradu Aneesh and Bhai Nazeer factions. A country bomb was hurdled at a flat by members of Aneesh's gang where Nazeer's associate was staying. Recently one woman was killed in Palluruthy and another woman - who was employed in a shop at Padivattom - was attacked by two youngsters as they tried to snatch her chain. A man was killed in April this year by a cobbler over drunken brawl.