BENGALURU: A shooting incident takes place almost every alternate day and the state capital has witnessed nearly eight cases of shootouts in public places in September alone.
While there has been much criticism on police’s new age, extra-judicial methods to end underworld activities in the state, TNIE takes a look at the new generation rowdies with their sense of entitlement and impatience. And, yes, how technology, too, is interfacing with intelligence in this dark and seedy underworld.
To begin with, however much criticised, the encounter strategy adopted by the state police seemed to have curbed underworld activities in Karnataka, which peaked in the 1990s.
At least that’s what the police claim: they managed to browbeat the most hardened rowdies, the big daddies of crime world fled their areas of operation, even as some got mercilessly killed.
Quite a few surrendered in courts. “Fear psychosis works in criminals too,” says a retired police officer, known as an “encounter specialist of Karnataka”. He goes on to add, not without a tinge of old world retribution theory at play: “Our rule is simple. If a gangster tries to bully, there will be retaliation. If he tries to pull the trigger, he will not be spared.”
On the one hand, while the police is strategically getting trigger-happy, not really killing notorious rowdy elements but actually leaving them maimed so they can’t walk/operate properly, their muscle power reduced; on the other, every three to five months there’s a new group sprouting.
According to police records, there are over 20,000 history-sheeters in Karnataka, and at least 8,500 in Bengaluru alone. This includes both new entrants and old-timers.
While notorious old-timers like Muthappa Rai, Agni Sridhar and others claim to have reformed and ventured into other businesses, there are new comers like ‘Silent’ Sunila, Onte Rohith, JCB Narayana, etc, who are still making waves.
Meanwhile, there are many small-timers, too, in business now. But these are all “Pudi rowdies”, says DySP SK Umesh, a bit derisively.
“However, we have our limitations. Police have certain parameters which are set to decide on who becomes a classic case to come on our encounter radar,” said a senior officer, requesting anonymity. The officer adds that murder of rival gang members in public or kidnappings for ransom are classic cases for such encounters.
A trend that has not changed in the underworld is rival gang killings. Retired police officer BK Shivram notes, the city had witnessed the tales of ‘their’ friendship, rivalries and blood they spilled on the streets.
Now this generation, according to Deputy SP Umesh, “is that the youngsters are totally impulsive” in nature.
“They form friendships very quickly then at the same speed they betray and they split. But they don’t leave it at that split,” says Umesh. “They want to prove their mettle and decide to kill.”
Officers say, killing for money hasn’t been much of a trend in Karnataka, like in other states. Here, the police say, one of the main reasons is shortage of sharpshooters.
“Earlier, there were a few gangs which used to hand-pick shooters from UP. The Ravi Pujari gang hand-picked shooters from Dombivli, Konkan, Mangaluru, and Azamgarh in UP. The shooters carried out audacious attacks for Rs 5,000-10,000.
Meanwhile, there are a few like ‘Silent’ Sunila, Onte, etc, who are still active in the ‘field’. “From behind bars, they mainly engage in arranging muscle men for politicians,” Shivaram says.
ECONOMY FACTOR
The police say another reason for change in the underworld scenario is the fall in economy but increasing distractions for today’s youth.
“Our estimates show the profits of particular criminal enterprises can vary from a few thousands to lakhs. Contrary to popular belief, not all organised crime is associated with vast profits; many offenders just make enough to cover living expenses,” Shivram says.
When criminals do invest, their main motivation is to satisfy personal and family needs and life style preferences.
ROWDY PARADES
There are rowdy “roll calls”, what are called “rowdy parades” every week at certain police stations. Although big dons are no more or have become legit businessmen, the small-timers are called for a “face off”.
“Rowdy parades have become a norm while they are nothing but a big sham,” says Shivaram. Umesh who was known for his unique rowdy parade activities, disagrees. He says they are needed for what we call ‘detection of face’. He says it’s a strategy to introduce each other -- ‘face off’ with each other -- and also issue warnings to the rowdies.
“I would make them pick plastic trash, cut grass, etc, so people know they are not someone above law and to be feared; it demoralises the rowdies themselves,” Umesh said. Another officer said, “It is foolish to parade them and ask them to chop off their hair or change their beard style etc. It’s not our job.
That won’t generate any fear in them.”
IMPORTANCE OF POLICING
Policing has also taken a backseat say retired officers. They feel that either the policeman is a slave to the ruling party or has to yield to pressure from local MLAs who, in many cases, were once history-sheeters.
“With technology change, underworld has also evolved and it is only after that the police are trying to evolve,” say BB Ashok Kumar, retired police officer.
Today’s youngsters, he says, do not believe in traditional mafia model. They are more of conglomerates of career criminals who temporarily join with others to commit crimes and then join others to commit more crimes.
“We characterise them as polymorphous, adaptable and fluid multi-commodity criminal networks. There is one set of criminals who just doesn’t want any case on them,” he says.
Shivaram says, “Criminals these days say ‘case mari hakbardu’ which means there shouldn’t be any further cases against them. So they try and get away with crimes by either getting hand in glove with the police or many times using their techie brains.”
FIRST WOMAN DON
The first woman don and former hooch queen Marimuthu contested the 2019 bypoll from Sagayapuram ward in Bengaluru as an Independent.
Palaniyamma of the Congress won from Sagayapuram ward by securing 7,182 votes. She defeated her nearest rival Marimuthu, who secured 4,143 votes. Marimuthu had a history-sheet opened against her at the Kadugondanahalli police station
A TIGER TO CAMPAIGN
MP Jayaraj contested the 1989 Assembly elections from Jayanagar constituency as an Independent candidate after the Congress refused to field him. He selected ‘tiger’ as his symbol.
He came out on parole to campaign and used a real tiger, borrowed from a circus company, to campaign. He had a cage attached to his jeep with the tiger and used it to campaign. However, during the campaign, a group of rival gangsters shot Jayaraj dead.