Gang held with 20 machetes in Tondiarpet

When stopped during a vehicle check near Vaidyanathan bridge in Tondiarpet, they were found carrying as many as 20 machetes.

It was following a tipoff that a police party stopped four persons on two bikes during a vehicle check-up. On suspicion, the four – R Lakshmanan (26) and Prabhu alias G Prabhakaran (25) from Tondiarpet; M Govindaraj of Villupuram; and a 17-year-old boy – were taken to the police station for a detailed enquiry. That was when they found that the men were carrying 20 long knives.

Police noted that Lakshmanan and Prabhu were facing cases including murder, attempt to murder and extortion.

The two belonged to the gang once led by Jeeva, who was murdered by a rival gang headed by Haribabu in November 2017. The arrested gang members were readying for a show down with Haribabu and associates who are out of jail on bail, believe the police. Apprehending them might have probably prevented a retaliatory attack on Haribabu’s gang, said police. The three were remanded in custody while the juvenile offender was sent to government home.