Gangster, accomplices held

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Neyyatinkara Police finally saved their face as they arrested Jambulingam Suresh, a fugitive who had evaded arrest for more than 13 years, and six other accomplices from Parasala. Suresh,31, a resident of Punnakad Mele PuthuvalPuthen Veedu, was nick-named as Jambulingam after his modus operandi resembled that of the notorious brigand Jambulinga Nadan, who operated along the rugged Kerala- Tamil Nadu border during the early 20th century.Those arrested were identified as Sabu, 33, of Aruvikkara Saju Nivas, Krishna Kumar ,22, of Chenniyod Plavila Veedu, Babu, 27, of Pashuvannara Puthen Veedu,Sanal Kumar, 26, of Maranaloor Punnavur Sangeetha Bhavan, Biju, 27, of Punnakad Arashuvilakathu Veedu and Sreejith, 25, of Vandannur Ambedkar Colony. According to the police officers,the arrested were wanted in several cases including housebreaking, gang burglary and attempt to murder. Suresh was involved in more than 100 cases registered in various stations. Around 50 arrest warrants were pending against the culprits. Suresh was last arrested in 1998 and has been absconding since then. Suresh used to shift his hideouts and resided in secluded areas and used to carry out his operations from there. Besides, he never stayed in the same place for long. “This had delayed the arrest,” the police said.  Police had confirmed the involvement of Suresh in many cases, which includes attempt to murder, theft and also molestation of girls.The accomplices of Suresh were also involved in many assault and theft cases. Police confirmed that the arrested were constantly in touch with criminal gangs in the city and used to take quotations from other gangs and certain political organisations. A special police team has been engaged in tracking down the gang. Finally, they got a tip off that the gang was involved in smuggling sandalwood from the compound of a temple near Neyyatinkara. A 25-member police team led by Neyyatinkara DySP P Gopakumar kept a close vigil on the movements of the culprits and arrested them after an encounter. Anil Kumar, a police officer from Pozhiyoor station, was injured during the scuffle.