KOCHI: After a lull, interstate quotation gangs have resumed their bid to establish their footprint in Kochi, the state’s commercial capital.In the latest incident, Ernakulam Rural police busted a Tamil Nadu-based eight-member gang, reportedly hired to murder a political leader in the state, on Thursday. Two long knives and iron rods that the gang had stashed in a car for committing the crime were also recovered, said police officials. Acting on a tip-off received by Aluva Rural SP K Karthik, the team led by DYSP G Venu and Munambam SI A A Ashraf arrested the gang.
Sources said Perumbavoor native Anas, the national general secretary (youth) of Lok Janshakti Party, was the gang’s target. Anas, who has multiple criminal cases registered against him, joined politics recently when he was appointed to the post in LJP, the party founded by Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.
He was arrested last year for the illegal possession of a revolver. The weapon was recovered from his bed while he was admitted to a hospital at Perumbavoor.
The police officials said Tamil Nadu natives Yesu T, 37, of Valliyur; Bennin, 20, of Kanyakumari; Ramaswamy, 36, of Nagercoil; Vinod, 25, of Chennai; Remesh, 31, of Thirunelveli; Arul Ananthan, 36, and Prabhu R, 27, of Thoothukudi, besides Munambam native Habeeb, 24, were arrested from a homestay functioning adjacent to the Velankanny church at Munambam.
Police said some of them are accused in several murder and gang war cases in Tamil Nadu.“The Munambam native offered the others help to stay at the homestay. The other seven gang members reached the state from Tamil Nadu,” said a police officer.
Who hired them?
The police have launched the probe to nab the person who hired the gang and the one who brought them here. “We are interrogating the arrested persons. So far, we haven’t received any clues leading to the person who brought them here. At times, more persons are involved in such cases and it needs to be investigated,” said Aluva Rural SP K Karthik. He said a special investigation team has been constituted to unearth the mystery behind the case. “We hope we will get a clear picture without much delay,” he said.
