CHENNAI: The Central Crime Branch has detained at least 79 persons under the Goondas Act in the city over the last year, said police. The CCB also took up cases of land grabbing worth Rs 190 crore, retrieved land worth Rs 157 crore from grabbers, and recovered 152 sovereigns of gold jewels.
Speaking on the cases the CCB handled last year, Commissioner of Police Shankar Jiwal said four people, who registered over 40 fake logistics companies and cheated people of several crores, were held recently. “Posing as consultants, they conned companies in Hyderabad, Chennai, Tuticorin, Delhi, and Mumbai,” said Shankar Jiwal. The police team seized Rs 58.08 lakh and 188 sovereigns of gold from them and froze 61 bank accounts, 81 digital signatures, and 15 SIM cards.
Meanwhile, the Job Racket Wing arrested 23 people who conned victims by promising government jobs. The fraudsters received lakhs of rupees from at least 400 people. In one case, a man posed as an IAS officer and conducted interviews of at least 20 people in a government building, said police.
The Anti-Vice Squad swooped down on a network forcing women and girls into flesh trade. The kingpins were nabbed from Odisha. The accused contacted people on dating apps and booked star hotels to conduct their illegal trade.
The Anti-Land Grabbing unit, meanwhile, played a crucial role in the conviction of two men who allegedly grabbed 25 cents of land in 2007. The accused were sentenced to 11 years and ordered to pay Rs 1 crore as compensation to the victim.