What Is The Kuruva Gang, The Notorious Tamil Nadu-Based Robbers?
The Kochi City Police, Alappuzha police, and Fire and Rescue Services captured Santhosh Selvan, suspected to be part of the notorious Kuruva gang, a notorious band of Tamil Nadu-based robbers, following a four-hour-long manhunt on Saturday.
The arrest was made after the Alappuzha police spotted a series of thefts in three houses in Mannanchery on October 29 following a similar pattern. The houses that reported a theft include a single entry and exit. The doors were wrenched open with a sharp tool.
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The 38-year-old had escaped police custody while he was under investigation for a series of thefts. Santhosh, along with other suspects, was arrested near the Kundannoor flyover in Ernakulam following a long process of questioning and interviewing over 50 people from rural areas in Tamil Nadu. The police faced protest from a group of women, reportedly relatives of Santhosh and others, and claimed that the men were wrongfully implicated in the case.
During the commotion, Santhosh fled only to be eventually captured by the police after an intense manhunt.
What Is The Kuruva Gang?
Reports of the Kuruva gang started doing rounds in Kerala when CCTV footage of three people in innerwear carrying lethal weapons at 2 am in Kottayam’s Athirampuzha grama panchayat on November 26, 2021, surfaced. Soon reports emerged of attempted break-ins at five houses in the area.
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Smearing themselves with oil, the Kuruva gang is known for covering their faces with masks and being half naked. Their modus operandi involves targeting houses with easy entry and exit. After surveillance in the day time, they attack at night with a single weapon. They use the same tool to wrench open the door and attack anyone who came in their way, the police said.
Hailing from Thiruttu gramam in Tamil Nadu, the violent Kuruva gang has struck in several regions near the Walayar border in 2021.
