THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Goonda Dini Babu was nabbed by the city shadow police on Tuesday night. Babu had gone into hiding for the past six months after he was accused of conspiring the murder of his neighbour Vishnu last August.
He was taken into custody near Kochuveli railway station following a tip-off received by City Police Commissioner G Sparjan Kumar. According to the police, Babu was hiding in Bengaluru, Trichy and Idukki and was trapped while he was on the way to the city in a train along with his close aides Unni and Ajeesh. Later, Babu was arrested by the Pettah police with the assistance of shadow team.
Vishnu, 19, of Puthenpalam, was hacked to death at his residence by a seven-member group led by Babu. Though the police had arrested the seven youths, Babu went absconding after the incident. Vishnu’s mother Bindu and aunt Laila were also attacked. The incident was in retaliation to the murder of Sunil Babu, the younger brother of Babu.
Sunil Babu was murdered by the rival gang led by another goonda named Puthenpalam Rajesh last year. At that time, Dini Babu was serving imprisonment at Viyyur central jail in connection with various cases. Sparjan Kumar told Express that Babu landed in police net after the police began to trace his mobile phone tower locations.
“Babu had changed several SIM cards to divert the attention of the police. However, we traced him with the assistance of the Cyber Cell”, Kumar said.
Babu is an accused in over 20 criminal cases, including murder. He was the leader of the gang based in Kannammoola. Babu and Puthenpalam Rajesh were rivals and their gangs used to clash each other at the place which often gave nightmares to the local residents. Babu was also held under the provisions of the Kerala Antisocial Activities Prevention Act (KAAPA) several times earlier.
The accused was produced before the magistrate which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.