The hegemony of goons has claimed one more life. Anand, 24, who was hacked to death near Poundkadav last week, is the latest victim of the ‘goonda raj’ in the city.
The shocking fact is that one of the alleged attackers of Anand, Blackie Shibu, is a notorious goon who was released from jail only a few months ago and has been ‘ruling’ his ‘area’ right under the nose of the cops.
Shibu, 35, had also been convicted under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities Prevention (Goonda) Act once. His last jail term was for attacking and stealing money and mobile from one Asokan, of Thumba.
Shibu, who focuses his activities on Thumba-Poundkadav area, creates violence in one of the settlement colonies of Thumba to attack Asokan. One of the sub-inspectors says that the cops can only remain helpless in this vicious circle where goons are getting punished and then continuing as criminals with more power and grudge.
Subhash, 30, the brother of Shibu and the first accused in the Anand murder case, allegedly used an explosive while killing the youth. It was reported that Anand, who was a student of Government Polytechnic College, Nedumangad, went T O Subhash’s house with one of his friends to buy ganja. But Subhash, who was in an inebriated state, suspected Anand and threw an explosive at him.
When Anand tried to run away, Subhash followed him and hacked him with machete. The case is that Blackie Shibu and Binu, the third accused in the case, helped Subhash by arranging a hideout for him.
It was in September that Saji, a tipper lorry driver, was killed by a gang at Nedumcaud near Karamana. Ajith Kumar alias Soju known as Ammaykkoru Makan Soju, a gangster and the prime suspect in the case, had landed in police net two weeks ago. It was allegedly the grudge maintained by Soju towards Choozhattukotta Ambili, to whom Saji was an accomplice, which ended up in the murder. The trap which Soju laid for Ambili finally took the life of Saji.
However, the common feeling is that if the sale of ganja and the ‘rule’ of goons continue, then what was the role of the police.