‘Encounter’ specialist Velladurai posted in Kanchipuram

To crackdown on the gangs that are allegedly fleecing manufacturing units in the industrial belt in Kancheepuram district, the Home Department posted Additional Superintendent of Police S Vellaidurai, who made his name over the years as an encounter specialist.

After being brought from Tiruvannamalai to control the gangs that are collecting ‘protection money’, Vellaidurai has already started enumerating rowdy elements in the belt that includes Sriperumbudur, Maraimalai Nagar, Oragadam, etc., said sources. He would report to the IG, North Zone.

Officials said many among the 600 big and small units in these areas have been facing trouble from the criminal gangs, including those part of the scrap mafia that controls the trade that runs into hundreds of crores of rupees. However, fearing their wrath, not many of the victims come forward to file complaints.

Vellaidurai has been part of many encounter killings that happened in various districts in the State in the last 25 years. He was a member of Special Task Force of Tamil Nadu police, which had gunned down forest brigand Veerappan in 2004. In Chennai, he was part of the squad that gunned down gangster Veeramani in 2003 when K Vijay Kumar was the Commissioner of Police. He was also part of encounter team that operated in Tiruchy in the late 90s.