Engg students turn gangsters

Led by one Sunil the gang indulges in kidnapping, extortion & murder

Kurnool : Abductions, demands for ransom and murders. These three elements make up for a perfect thriller either for screen or for reading pleasure. But in a case of fiction turning into fact, Kurnool police arrested a gang of extortionists who were indulging in kidnapping, ransom and murder.

The story begins with a former auto rickshaw driver, Sunil. Heading a network of engineering students, Sunil masterminded a series of kidnaps and collected huge ransoms. If he failed in his attempts, he had not hesitated to murder his prey, according to Superintendent of Police Chandrasekhar Reddy who produced the gang before the media in Kurnool on Monday.

Based in Kothapet in Proddutur mandal, Sunil took to crime for making easy and quick money to lead a luxurious life. His modus operandi was simple: First, he would befriend some students offering them booze and later kidnap one of them to demand ransom from the student's parents. In course of time, he developed a network of about a 100-strong gang, many of them students, to target celebrities.

The gang's criminal activities came to an end with the murder of a person. On February 19 this year, Jaladurgam police in Kurnool district found a burnt body at Chandrapalli village. They also found a key bunch at the place of crime and identified its owner as Vasu Ramprasad, proprietor of Vamsi Medical Stores, in Tadipatri.

Meanwhile, the Kurnool police during the course of investigation of a taxi driver's murder arrested Pulivendula resident Anil who told the police that he had killed the taxi driver to steal an Innova vehicle for kidnapping an industrialist of Anantapuram. During interrogation, Anil told the police about the activities of Sunil and his gang.

He also disclosed details about murder of Vasu Ramprasad. He told the police that the Sunil gang had kidnapped Vasu Ramprasad and murdered him. Later, they burnt the body. Following the information, the Kurnool police swooped on Sunil, Viswa, Narendra Kumar, Harish Kumar Reddy, Kiran Kumar Reddy, Mahesh Kumar Reddy, Shamir Basha, Subrahmanyam and Ashok Kumar Reddy and took them into custody.

They had also seized three vehicles, a motorcycle, some gold ornaments. Five among the arrested are students of CV Raman Engineering College, Tadipatri. Now, the police are investigating the role of one hundred students' network and the management of the engineering college.

Police learnt that the gang used to sell the stolen gold to a trader in Kurnool. However, the trader denied purchasing gold from the gang. A junior lawyer in the neighbouring mandal has been helping the gang to 'manage' the police by paying bribes to them.A Celebrities, rich traders and realtors are afraid of Kothapet Sunil. He is notorious in the crime world. Besides kidnappings and murders, he is said to be a smuggler of red sanders. He reportedly enjoys political clout. During interrogation, Sunil gave the police the names of two high police officers who are on his payroll and two news reporters who helped him by accepting Rs 15 lakh.

Former Congress MLA Varadarajulu Reddy said that the police acted and arrested Sunil only after he brought the matter to the Chief Minister's notice. Proddutur DSP Srinivasulu Reddy said that they are investigating the case from all angles.