KOCHI: A five-member gang involved in extorting hawala money has been netted by the City Shadow Police. According to the sleuths, hardcore criminals, including a notorious gang leader from Thiruvananthapuram, who is named an accused in about 20 criminal cases, were arrested on Saturday.
Acting on a tip-off received by City Police Commissioner M P Dinesh that a gang from Thiruvananthapuram had been staying in the city for an operation, a shadow team led by Crime Detachment ACP Biji George conducted searches and arrested gang leader Ansar, 29, aka ‘Pullipuli Ansar’, hailing from Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram.
He is an accused in several criminal cases, including murder attempts. The other arrested are Alif Khan, 29, Vellayani, Siyad, 29, a native of Nemom, Mohammed Fanaan, 19, and Hilaaludheen, 22, natives of Mannarkad, in Palakkad. All the accused were arrested from near the ESI Hospital in Ernakulam North by the police after blocking the vehicle in which they were travelling. Several lethal weapons and packets of ganja were recovered from the vehicle.
