Less than a year old, Chennai police’s Organised Crime Unit (OCU), set up to take down major crime gangs in the city has been the turning point in apprehending some criminals, police officers say.
In the early hours of January 8, a team of police personnel in plainclothes belonging to the OCU, reached Sathyamurthy Nagar, Vyasarpadi, based on intelligence input. On seeing them, a man with a long knife ran into a house located on the ground floor of the Housing Board Flats there and locked himself in. When police personnel broke the door down and attempted to nab the man, they found at least seven more persons inside, all armed with weapons. One of them threw a long knife intending to attack a member in the team, however, the police team soon overpowered the group even men that included relatives of jailed gangster Nagendran(named in the murder of BSP leader K. Armstrong). It turns out the team had successfuly averted a major gang war.
Again, this time, late on January 15, another special team surrounded ‘Bomb’ Saravanan, a notorious gangster who was absconding for the last six years at Good Shed road, Mullai Nagar. When the police team neared him, he attempted to escape after hurling a knife at an inspector. He stepped aside, and a sub-inspector leapt forward and tried to snatch the knife was injured in his hand. Again Saravanan took a country- made bomb from his bag and hurled it towards police personnel. It landed without exploding. Meanwhile the inspector shot at Saravanan, below his knee, immobilising him.
In both these cases, the newly-formed Organised Crime Unit(OCU) played a major role in surveillance and providing vital clues to local police personnel. The OCU was formed last July to monitor and combat the activities of major gangs operating within Chennai, which include disputes over personal rivalries, revenge-driven criminal activities, extortion targeting the public and affluent business persons.
This unit is presently functioning with the following strength drawn from one Assistant Commissioner of Police two inspectors, seven sub-inspectors and other police personnel. The OCU directly reports to the City Police Commissioner A.Arun in order to curtail the rowdy activities in Greater Chennai City Police. It gathers and analyses intelligence on criminal networks, strategic surveillance, to support investigations.
The OCU is also tasked with successful prosecutions, and collaborating with other law enforcement agencies for effective crime control. It may be noted that the unit provided inputs through various sources across different rowdy categories and shared with local officers for actionable steps, said a senior police officer.
The unit has prioritised generating alerts for A+ category rowdies, and enabling targeted operations that have led to the arrest and remand of several notorious offenders. It has compiled comprehensive documentation of 4,102 high-risk (HS) rowdy elements, 342 major gangs, and 184 minor gangs operating within the GCP limits. After the formation of the OCU, based on the intelligence it provided, about 22 A+ Accused, 77 A Category accused were arrested and remanded. In the last five months, 247 history sheeters were arrested and detained under Goondas, said the senior police officer. In the last four months, the OCU has facilitated the successful conviction of 53 criminals through courts for their criminal offences. 41 of them are history sheeters, police officers pointed out.
Published - January 27, 2025 12:59 am IST
