Kochi: A hunting ground for quotation gangs from TN

Pandian was shot dead in an encounter with the Tamil Nadu Police. The whereabouts of Mathivanan and Uppali are still unknown. The case is now probed by the CBI.

KOCHI: From the sensational Mithila Mohan murder to the turf war between notorious gangsters Bhai Nazeer and Maradu Aneesh, Kochi has witnessed multiple cases involving Tamil Nadu-based goons and quotation gang members.  

It was on April 5, 2006,  that liquor businessman V A Mohanan also known as Mithila Mohan, was shot dead at his house in Vennala by two members of a quotation gang based in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu.
Though multiple agencies have probed the case, assailants remain at large.

The Crime Branch during its probe identified Santhosh Kumar alias Kanan of Trichur; Tamil Nadu natives Pandian alias Dindigul Pandia alias Madras Pandia; Mathivanan and Uppali. Only Santhosh Kumar was arrested in the case.

Pandian was shot dead in an encounter with the Tamil Nadu Police. The whereabouts of Mathivanan and Uppali are still unknown. The case is now probed by the CBI.

“Before mobile phones became popular, Tamil Nadu-based goons were preferred for criminal quotation activities in Kochi as the police often found it difficult to track them. They were used for extortions and finishing off business rivals. But, as the police started using the service of the cyber cell to track the accused in criminal cases, instances of hiring goons from other states have come down,” an official who was part of the Crime Branch investigation team of Mithila Mohan murder case told TNIE.

Gangsters from Kochi
Maradu Aneesh, a dreaded gangster in Kochi, was active in Dindigul. Several of his gang members are from different parts of Tamil Nadu. In the Imtiaz murder case, Aneesh’s gang members based in Tamil Nadu - Easwar, Sonaikumar and Rajkumar - faced trial. However, they were all acquitted. Bhai Nazeer, another gangster and Aneesh’s rival, also had close links with gangs in Tamil Nadu.

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