Tamil Nadu: 30 people with links to radical outfits under police scanner

COIMBATORE: The rural police are closely monitoring 30 people with links to fundamental outfits. According to district superintendent of police V Badrinarayanan, they have interrogated four of them, while all the 30 are now under their shadow watch.
He said they were planning to bring Thudiyalur-Mettupalayam stretch under CCTV blanket soon. “CCTV cameras will be installed on medians. Major junctions will be, meanwhile, monitored with the help of automatic number plate recognition cameras. We have approached some private companies to sponsor CCTV cameras under the corporate social responsibility initiative.”
Addressing the media after handing over recovered stolen mobile phones to their owners at the district police office premises here on Saturday, Badrinarayanan said the communally sensitive areas of Mettupalayam and Pollachi would also be brought under CCTV surveillance blanket. “The rural police limits have 5,400 CCTV cameras. Station house officers have been advised to take steps to install more cameras in commercial areas with the help of traders. They have also been asked to install CCTV cameras at Thudiyalur, Karamadai and Kovilpalayam areas with the help of residential welfare associations.”
The officer said they had identified places at Chettipalayam, Sulur, Mettupalayam, Pollachi, Thudiyalur, Karamadai and a few more police station limits to install more CCTV cameras. “We will start the work soon.”
The SP said the rural police were taking stringent action against the people peddling ganja and banned tobacco products. “At least 115 colleges are functioning in the rural police limits. We have started anti-drug clubs at 65 colleges so far to curtail the supply of drugs. In addition, we have constituted committees at 218 village panchayats to curb the sale of ganja.” He said two villages in Sirumugai and Kinathukadavu panchayats had been declared free of ganja.
Badrinarayanan handed over 155 stolen mobile phones worth 23 lakh to their owners on the day. “We have handed over 604 stolen mobile phones worth 90 lakh since January this year. We seized 550kg ganja worth 75 lakh and synthetic drugs worth 19 lakh and arrested 515 drug peddlers. Five of them have been detained under the Goondas Act. We have recommended the district collector to detain another 15 ganja peddlers under the Goondas Act.”