THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The bomb attack on a 34-year-old person near Menamkulam has ignited fears of a resurgence in criminal activities in Kazhakootam and nearby areas, which were once a thriving hub of organised crime syndicates and gangsters. Rajan Pereira, who was slated to fly to Sweden, sustained severe injuries on his right leg after being hit by two crude bombs that were hurled by a gang led by a Menamkulam native on Thursday night.
Rajan’s leg was shattered in the attack and he has undergone two surgeries till now, said Kazhakootam Inspector Praveen J S. The incident came as a rude jolt to the public as well as the cops, who vouch that the criminal gangs have been subdued by sustained policing.
Kazhakootam and Menamkulam, which is located less than four kilometres from Technopark, have been witnessing a fast-paced development boom over the past few years with several big-ticket companies opening their offices there. The real-estate business has also witnessed a meteoric rise as construction firms buy large parcels of land to cater to the growing accommodation needs.
This has provided easy money to the criminals, who dabble in several activities from real-estate to extortion from builders to bankroll their activities. With the proceedings from illegal sand mining also fattening their wallets, the gangs often developed splinters, resulting in deadly conflicts. The murder of notorious gangster Aprani Krishnakumar in 2007 was the consequence of one such conflict.
Though Kazhakootam is the theatre of all gangland wars, Menamkulam could be easily dubbed as the epicentre of most of the violence. Many of the dreaded gangsters including Kalpana Suresh, who rose to notoriety with the brutal killing of two youngsters in 2003 by burying their heads in sand, and Koomban Saju, who has a slew of cases against him including attack on cops, emerged from there.
However, the crime graph has ebbed for the last few years, courtesy strong police action and inter-gang rivalries that drained the resources, both men and material. “Till 2016, criminal gangs were active in the area. But due to stringent policing, their activities were curbed. Now, there are no gang wars and most of the gang leaders have left the place,” said Inspector Praveen. He said now people are comfortable tipping off the cops about the criminals, which facilitates the crackdown of the gangsters.
“Most of the gangsters left the place because of strong police action,” he said. However, what’s unnerving police is that many of the gangsters are making a return. Lyon Johnson, who had planned and executed the attack on Rajan, was one such gangster, who fled the place and set up his base in Nagercoil. An accused in several cases, Johnson was planning to hit Sunil, a friend of Rajan, with whom he had a long-running feud. However, the bomb fell on Rajan, who had nothing to do with Johnson.
A former Special Branch officer, who had worked in Kazhakootam, said the coastal areas of Thumba and Kazhakootam act as a sanctuary for habitual offenders from the city. “Since there are many desolate places in those localities, gangsters manufacture country-made explosives there. That’s why we can see that Thumba and Kazhakootam stations have a spike in cases under the Explosives Act,” the officer said.
Cyber City assistant commissioner Hari C S said the police have been alerted to the threats posed by the criminals and due to the sustained efforts of the department, things have improved. “Nowadays there are no major law and order issues in our limit. Menamkulam incident was a retaliation of one of the criminals and all culprits have been arrested.”
Deadly fights
With money from illegal activities fattening their wallets, gangs often developed splinters, resulting in deadly fights. Murder of gangster Aprani Krishnakumar in 2007 was the result of one such conflict.