Chennai police on high alert after AIADMK worker's murder

The Chennai police are on high alert after a city-based drug peddling gang hacked a local AIADMK functionary to death, alleging that he was tipping off the police to bust their narcotics business.

The deceased identified as 32-year-old Silambarasan, was the AIADMK Unit Secretary at MGR Nagar in Sholavaram, Chennai, and was allegedly attacked by a machete-wielding gang of four persons while he was standing outside his residence late on Monday evening.

Two of the four-member gang -- Tamilselvan (22) and Ranjithkumar -- lived in the same locality as the AIADMK worker. The accused duo surrendered and deposed before the police that they had hacked the AIADMK worker to death as he was regularly tipping off police about their narcotics business.

After the murder of Silambarasan, the Anti-Narcotic Cell of the Chennai police swung into action and have launched a crackdown against middlemen, who were engaged in the sale of 'ganja' and other narcotic substances. Police are using the database available with it about history-sheeters involved in the drug trade in the city and adjoining areas of Kancheepuram and Chengalpetu.

The police have interrogated several people involved in the sale of drugs and who have a previous history of sale of narcotic substances.

A senior official of the Chennai police Anti-Narcotic Cell told IANS, "There was a lull in the sale of narcotic substances during the lockdown as people were not stepping out of their houses. Once lockdown was lifted, the narcotic traders have also spread their wings. We are on regular alert and have arrested drug traders and agents but after this murder, the police have conducted raids at several places in the city and interrogated many people."

Police said they have launched a crackdown on the primary source of the drugs. Mostly the peddlers procure it from Andhra Pradesh and sell it in small packets within the city limits.

With all medical colleges in Tamil Nadu already open and schools for higher secondary students set to open from September 1, the home department wants a crackdown on all drug peddlers. The murder of Silambarasan has led to an immediate crackdown by the police on the peddlers and agents.