CHENNAI: In three days, there have been two brazen attacks on history-sheeters in broad daylight in
North Chennai. While on Saturday, a gang of six chased and attacked
Harikrishnan with sharp weapons, with the sequence caught on CCTV camera, on Monday, ‘Muttai’ Gopi, who had reformed himself and plied an autorickshaw, was hacked to death.
The sudden spurt in violence in North Chennai, the police said, could be an attempt by gangs to take control of strategic pockets. With political protests keeping the law enforcers preoccupied, dormant gangs have resurfaced and are trying to eliminate rivals besides creating a public spectacle.
In a report, the anti-gangster team of the Chennai police had told senior officers that anti-social elements were trying to stake claim to certain areas in North Chennai that were earlier dominated by gangsters Asaithambi, Kabilan, Vellai Ravi and others. All were gunned down by the police between 2002 and 2007.
Gangsters seeking control of localities target rivals who come in their way or with whom they have scores to settle. Police sources said gangsters were taking advantage of the political instability in the state. Last November, J
Vijayakumar, a history-sheeter, was murdered near a court. The act was caught on CCTV camera and the video went viral. Gangsters resort to such brazen attacks to send out a message to the rival groups and spread panic among the public, said a police officer.
“Criminals often send messages to rivals by committing murders in full view of public. A few years ago, ‘Punk’ Raj of Sevvapet was murdered by four teenagers when he was negotiating a deal. The boys graduated to next level and became hardened criminals,” said the officer attached to the anti-gangster team.
Retired police officer
B Dhananjeyan said such attacks send wrong signals to the public about efficiency of the force. “People will not move freely on the road if they witness murders. They will always be in panic and unsecured,” he said.
To counter the anti-social elements, police commissioner A K
Viswanathan revived the anti-gangster team in January and assigned new police officers to crack down on criminals. Also, the police conducted an enumeration of active criminals in the city. As part of the exercise, police apprehended almost 1,500 criminals. However, some who gave written assurances saying they would not indulge in criminal activities were let off. Gopi was one among them. He had given an undertaking in front of the deputy commissioner of police saying he would reform.
Representative image
