The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Organised crime at its `best'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 09, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Organised crime at its `best'

Details emerging about the style of operation of the recently busted Bihar-based ``shutter-lifting'' gang that struck at several shops in the city over the last three years would put some corporates to shame. So organised was the gang that that it recruited persons only after the payment of Rs. 25,000 (a sort of indemnity) and there were even promotions for the gang members from being plain marksmen, who watched out for police or other security, up to becoming executors, who actually broke into the shop.

The shutter-lifting gang is suspected to have been involved in at least 27 break-ins of various shops, including State Government-run liquor shops, since 1999. Their strikes grew particularly frequent in 2001 at shops in and around Flower Bazaar.

Their strike happened in such quick bursts that before the police swung to action, they would have targeted at least four and five shops and moved on to the neighbouring States of Kerala or Karnataka.

The gang gets its name from its mode of operation: they would roll up the shutter around the centre portion which normally has no lock; the main `executor' would roll into the shop while other gang members keep a watch; they would target mainly fast-moving commodities such as watches or mobile phones and cash; Shopkeepers would be perplexed by the lack of any graphic scenes of break-in.

Double bonus

The arrest of the gang is now a double bonus for the Flower Bazaar district police: they can now expect to extract more information of inter-State gangs from the prime accused because they have come to know that there are hundreds of such gangs operating out of Bihar; the City police have enhanced their reputation among peers with police teams from Kerala already requesting them to hand over the arrested for questioning in similar cases there.

At a police press conference earlier this week, the City Police Commissioner, R. Nataraj, said the police expected more arrests of similar gangs in near future. He appreciated the efforts of the team headed by the Elephant Gate Inspector, M. Rajendiran, for travelling right up to

the Bihar-Nepal border to arrest the gang. The 15-member police team waited for nearly two weeks in Motihari district of Bihar. They knew that the gang members would return to their homes for Holi. The team also got full cooperation of local district officials and the police, thanks mainly to the Collector, Sankaran, a Tamilian, who was happy in helping his State police in their task.

They tracked down the gang to Porohan village on Bihar-Nepal border after cross-verifying the fingerprints lifted from the crime scenes here with the database available at the Fingerprints Bureau of Bihar.

The village was primarily full of gangs operating out of State. Importantly, no other State police had ever ventured there to arrest the gangs out of fear of public reactions. However, the local administration there had provided them with enough security cover.

Extreme conditions

One of the police team members said the conditions at Porohan village were extreme. ``The village had only mud roads and there were absolutely no streetlights. We were apprehensive about the operation all along but thanks to the support of the local police and the collector, we had a huge team. We busted the gang right after the Holi celebrations.''

According to the prime accused Ashok Kumar, who was nabbed with three others, the gangs are reportedly flourishing in Bihar.

He even refers to a `godfather' of all such gangs named Gangaprasad who trained the gangs in identifying potential targets and also in innovative ways of striking. Gangaprasad has reportedly been arrested and lodged at the

local prison there but continues to influence other gangs. Most of the youths recruited to the gang are from agricultural families.

Each `outing' of the gang could last up to two months. They return with their `catch' to their homes.

Another team would transport the booty to markets in Beerkanj in Nepal, for sale at rock bottom prices.

The real challenge for the police now is to get conviction of the gang. Ashok Kumar was earlier arrested by the Royapuram police and lodged at the Central Prison in 2000.

He got out on bail and absconded soon. His fingerprints were found in two cases of break-ins in the last three years and there were 24 arrest warrants pending against him at the time of arrest.

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