Chennai, March 23 : The Greater Chennai Police have stepped up their crackdown on history-sheeters across the city following a double murder in Kotturpuram on March 16.
The incident involved the killing of two notorious criminals — Arun Kumar (25) and his associate, Padappai Suresh (25). Both were brutally hacked to death late on Sunday night. In swift action, the police arrested 14 individuals, including the main accused, ‘Sukku Kappi’ Suresh (26), shortly after the murder.
In response to growing public concern and political backlash over the deteriorating law and order situation, Chennai Police Commissioner A. Arun has directed officials to intensify efforts to apprehend absconding history-sheeters.
The opposition AIADMK and BJP have targeted the ruling DMK government over what they describe as a failure to curb rising criminal activity. Despite ongoing crackdowns, city police records reveal a troubling rise in the number of history-sheeters involved in multiple murders. Officials say more comprehensive strategies are being deployed to track and arrest these individuals.
The current operation follows a similar aggressive drive launched soon after the murder of BSP state president K. Armstrong on July 5, 2024. Since then, more than 153 anti-social elements have been detained under the Goonda Act, around 375 rowdies arrested, and two gunned down in police action.
Senior police officials have confirmed that a fresh list of anti-socials has been prepared, with particular focus on those classified as “A-Plus” category rowdies — individuals involved in more than two murders.
Out of 60 identified A-Plus rowdies in the city, 33 hail from North Chennai. Specifically, the Washermenpet police district accounts for 20, while Pulianthope has 12, and one was listed under the Flower Bazaar police district.
The city police open history sheets on individuals with repeated involvement in cases of assault and grievous hurt. As the severity and frequency of their crimes increase — especially with involvement in murder and attempted murder — their classification escalates from ‘B’ to ‘A’ and then to ‘A-Plus’.
With the crackdown intensifying, many criminals have gone underground. Among them is Sambhav Senthil, a key accused in the K. Armstrong case, who has been on the run since July 5.
Senthil, an A-Plus history sheeter under Washermenpet police station, is wanted in several murder cases. His associates, Krishna Kumar and Appu are also absconding.
Sources within the Chennai Police say they have credible leads on Senthil’s whereabouts and are confident of arresting him soon. The murder case, which has exposed the nexus between criminals and politics, implicates members of AIADMK, Tamil Maanila Congress, BJP, and Congress. A comprehensive 5,000-page charge sheet has been submitted to the magistrate court.
“We will not stop our drive against anti-social elements. The crackdown will continue,” said a senior officer from North Chennai. Commissioner A. Arun has reiterated the department’s commitment to restoring law and order, promising continued efforts to curb rowdyism in the city.
–IANS