KOCHI: Last year in July, the quaint suburb of Nettoor witnessed a grisly crime. A 19-year-old was murdered by his acquaintance. Further probe into the death led to the arrest of four youth, all under the age of 23. Tagged an act of revenge, the crime hogged the limelight after it was revealed that the victim had close relations with one of the murderers, who even stayed with the victim’s family before committing the crime.
Before the shock had settled, Nettoor came to the spotlight for another crime. This time, a polytechnic student was brutally murdered by clashing drug gangs. Fourteen people were arrested last week, a majority of them below 25 years of age and one as young as 21. The scene is even more horrid in Vypeen, where three men, including a teenager, were held for the murder of a 22-year-old who was already an accused in several cases. The reason cited was the victim’s alleged relationship with the murderer’s romantic interest.
As blood continues to spill, the police are out to curb such acts of gang violence, by detaining suspects under CrPC 107 or slapping Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act 2007 or KAAPA. According to Ernakulam Rural SP K Karthik, 13 people were slapped with KAAPA just this year. “The Act is a very powerful one and invokes a lot of judicial scrutinies. Under its purview, a repeat offender can be detained without trial. Now, we are also probing the financial sources nurturing anti-social elements. Action is being taken if any illegal activity is detected,” said the SP. He added that addressing gang violence needs a joint intervention by district administration, the judicial system and the public.
However, people of Nettoor seem to have already taken a step in this direction. According to Boban Nedumparambil, vice-chairperson of Maradu Municipality, the public and the municipality have decided to submit a mass petition at the Panangadu police station. “We are aware of the presence of ganja peddlers here. It has come to our notice that children as young as 14 are associated with such gangs. To bring the issue to the limelight, we have decided to submit a mass petition,” said the vice-chairperson.
The petition will help the police officials invoke CRPC 107 against suspects. “Once charged under CrPC 107, the person will have to execute a bond, the violation of which will lead to an immediate court warrant,” said A Ananthalal, inspector in-charge, Panangad police station.