Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

What is in an alias?

Nicknames and aliases help citizens and the police identify a gangster, writes M. Harish Govind

Alias add distinctiveness and `character' to the criminal persona. Nicknames and aliases help citizens and the police to identify a gangster or burglar at first call. Nicknames such as `Pallan,' `Mondi,' `Vayaran' or `Kaala' may sound unflattering, but that does not detract from the grudging fear that they evoke among citizens.

The aliases are picked up as and when a youth acquires an identity in the world of crime, sometimes as a juvenile delinquent in a correctional home, police say.

The name is most often given by locals to identify him by his modus operandi, physical appearance, skills or place of origin.

At the police station, if the youth makes it to the `KD' (known depredator) or `DC' (dossier criminal) list by repeated offences, the sub inspector concerned gives official recognition to the alias. The lists have column spaces for the real name of the accused as well as two more names he may be known by.

A property offender, `Kuttappan,' may also be known as `Anil Kumar' and `Thenga Ani', the suffix `thenga' (coconut) giving an indication as to his professional preferences. All three names have to be found out and included as it would help to identify the offender if he is caught in a different police station area.

After the "baptism" at the police station, it is the turn of the media to give currency to the nickname/alias of an accused.

The nickname not only adds colour to the story, but also helps the reader identify the accused easily later.

Some of the more colourful aliases in the city's crime scene are `Changidi' Vinod; `Kakka' Murugan; `Mafia' Kannan; `Karate' Suresh; `China' Sunil; `Motta' Ani; `Airport' Sajan, `Aprani' Krishnakumar; `Pettah' Kuttan; `Pantham' Jayan; `Karate' Johny; `Manja' Nazeer' `Para' Appukkuttan; `Peeli' Shibu; `Kudukku' Ratheesh, `Pallan' Sajeev and `Jet' Santhosh.

The modus operandi of offenders is often the basis of nicknames.

A police official recalls that there was an accused youth in Kollam who went by the name of `Parakkum kottaram' (flying palace). This was because he used to hide atop trees or the terraces of high-rise buildings.

Physical appearance often finds expression in an alias, as in the case of `Pooda' Ravi, `Vayaran' Selvan or `Kochu' Gireesan.

Many burglars go by the nickname `udumbu', which indicates their ability to scale walls like the salamander. The nickname also goes for gangsters who are thin and wiry in constitution.

According to criminologist James Vadackumcherry, locals tend to choose the name of an animal or thing that highlights non-human traits in a criminal, and hence prefixes such as `Puli', `Kaala', `Kodali' and `Jet'. "Even police personnel who exhibit inhuman qualities are given nicknames like `Udumbu' or `Kodali'," he adds.

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