CHENNAI: A notorious rowdy, wanted in two murder cases, was arrested by the police here on Tuesday.
Mylapore Deputy Commissioner A G Mourya told presspersons that ‘CD’ Mani, a member of the once-dreaded ‘Vellai’ Kumar gang, had some 15 cases, including murder and attempt to murder, against him. Even as all other members of the gang ended up behind the bars, Mani had been cleverly eluding the police dragnet for a long time, he said.
Tracing the accused’s crime record, Mourya said 27-year-old Manikandan was a resident of St Thomas Nagar in Teynampet.
He began by assisting his father Parthasarathy, a fruit vendor outside Stella Maris College. But he soon got out of it and set up a video shop and became ‘CD’ Mani.
In 2007, he was arrested under the Goondas Act. The same year, he allegedly murdered Venkatesan, a cable TV operator and member of the rival Kanagu- Kushmi gang, at Teynampet. Mani, however, managed to evade arrest.
Venkatesan’s murder led to two revenge killings. Adyar Siva of ‘Vellai’ Kumar gang was murdered in 2008 by Satish, a history-sheeter, and his associates.
In retaliation, Satish, a resident of West Mambalam, was hacked to death on May 18 this year by a motorcycle-borne gang at Koyambedu. The police suspected Mani’s involvement in the murder.
On June 13, Ramesh of St Thomas Nagar filed a complaint with the Teynampet police accusing Mani of attacking and threatening him.
On Tuesday, a special police team led by Inspectors K Ramalingam and M S Bhaskar arrested Mani at the Velachery- Madipakkam junction at gunpoint. An unlicensed country-made gun and two bullets were recovered from him.