Almost two weeks have passed after the murder of Saji, an accomplice of Choozhattukotta Ambily, by suspected members of Soju gang near Karamana. But the city police so far had been groping in the dark as they failed miserably to identify the hideouts of Soju aka Ammakkorumakan, who is said to have been in the safe havens in the state and outside.
Barring a couple of arrests of those who harboured the assailants and three men who directly took part in the action, the police team was not able to crack the case and is apparently in two minds, whether to limit the extent of investigation for Soju in the state alone or to extend it to Tamil Nadu.
“We have called back one of the teams which was sent to track down Soju, the main accused. But since there was not much leads coming from the field regarding the potential safe stays of the gangster, we have to call tehm back,” said Deputy Commissioner Putta Vimaladithya. The special police team is now engaged in a two-way operation: Collecting evidence to bolster the case in the court and garnering inputs regarding the assailants who are on the run.
Though yet to nab Soju, the current investigation has proved effective in nabbing many other criminals who were lying low in distant places for years. C L Kishore, a close accomplice of gangster Ammakorumakan Soju and an accused in the murder of Jet Santhosh, was arrested in such a manner.
The probe for Soju ended up at the doorstep of Kishore who was living near Ambathur Industrial Estate, Chennai.
Besides the arrested, those who are connected with criminal syndicates but still to be booked under any offence have been brought under the scanner of the police.
It is learnt that 15 such members have been identified by the police. Ambily, the arch rival of Soju, is also under the police observation on the perception that he might go for revenge.