CHENNAI: Stung by series of macabre murders, especially in some southern districts, the TN police has netted more than 2,500 anti-socials classified as rowdies and drawn up plans to arrest or detain several more in coming days.
DGP C Sylendra Babu, who is head of the TN police force, held review meetings at Madurai and Tirunelveli, and declared that police would handle criminals with iron hand. As part of the crackdown -- codenamed ‘Operation Disarm’ – police would identify cases where reprisal killings are possible, execute arrest pending warrants and enhance visibility of policing across the state.
The DGP directed superintendents of police of southern districts, and other field officers, to undertake covert operations against criminals and keep them under check.
Police sources said16,370 persons had been questioned in the last 48 hours, and that a total of 2,512 rowdies arrested. Of them, 733 rowdies were remanded in jail and the rest were let go after they gave an undertaking for good conduct. At least 934 machetes, knives and eight pistols were also seized.
“All those even remotely involved in the recent murders which have genesis in the 2012-2013 revenge killings in Dindigul and Tirunelveli disitricts, have been arrested. Some of them surrendered on their own. Police vigil has been tightened to ensure there are no more retaliatory murders,” Sylendra Babu told reporters. He also denied the criticism that gun culture and trend of caste killings have returned.
At the review meeting, officers explained that peace meetings were being conducted in trouble spots where revenge murders were possible, and that they had also rehabilitated kin of murder victims so as to douse the revenge feelings. Potential killers are being weaned away with jobs and other income-generating ventures, they said. To counter casteist mindsets, awareness meetings are being held for youths, including school students, in vulnerable pockets and prospective offenders are sensitised on how would law would catch up with them and how they would waste their life-time battling consequences of such crimes.
Citing the recent murders, that include four beheadings in a span of 10 days in Tirunelveli and Dindigul, the DGP asked senior police officers in the southern region to identify and arrest history sheeters and those engaged in revenge murders.
