Why the suspected ‘Kuruva’ gang is keeping two districts in Kerala in suspense

When several failed theft attempts were reported within the limits of Mannanchery police station in Kerala’s Alappuzha district on the night of October 29, 2024, it hardly raised an eyebrow.

They were counted among many such attempts reported within a police district on a given day. But in the following days, a few more similar attempts were reported in Alappuzha.

Then on November 13, two consecutive burglaries were reported in as many households in Mannanchery. While gold jewelery worth three and a half sovereigns was stolen from one house, the jewelery stolen from the other household turned out to be imitation.

The sequence of events and the modus operandi raised suspicions about the involvement of the infamous ‘Kuruva gang’, a group of burglars, mainly from Tamil Nadu. CCTV footage soon emerged of two half-naked men with their faces covered and their bodies apparently oiled and blackened, adding credence to the suspicions. Following this, Alappuzha police launched a manhunt.

Accurate planning

According to Alappuzha Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Mr Madhu Babu, the gang is known for its meticulous planning.

“The members scout potential targets during the day and strike at night, focusing mainly on poorly secured houses that allow quick entry and exit. They operate in groups of 12 to 14 members, split into smaller teams to carry out their robberies,” Mr Babu said.

The gang uses various tactics to avoid detection. “Members often travel on motorcycles, which they park in isolated, overgrown areas near their targets. After concealing their vehicles, they change their appearance by taking off their shirts, applying oil to their bodies and covering their faces to minimize the risk of identification. They use sharp tools to break into houses and wear gloves to avoid fingerprints,” an official said.

Three days later, on November 16, Mannanchery police received a tip-off, based on the location of a mobile tower, about the presence of a suspect near Kundannoor flyover in Kochi city in neighboring Ernakulam district. A team led by Mr. Babu and Mannancherry Station House Officer reached the spot around 5:30 p.m.

A search ensued among the nomadic residents, largely migrants from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, who had camped on a swampy land adjacent to the flyover. They soon came across a man hidden in a cubby hole dug into wet earth and covered with a blue polyethylene sheet. A green tattoo on his chest looked eerily similar to the tattoo police spotted on one of the men captured on CCTV.

Police defied the violent resistance and managed to apprehend the man, identified as Santhosh Selvam. Another man, identified as Manikantan, was also taken into custody at the scene.

Just as they put the handcuffs on them and put them in the back of their car, the police team got a nasty surprise. A group consisting of women carrying toddlers confronted them. They hurled abuse at the police and forcibly freed Santhosh, who managed to flee in handcuffs and disappeared into the vast swampy land with tall wild vegetation.

“We couldn’t do much as there were no policewomen in our team,” Mannancherry police sources said. However, the police managed to secure Manikantan’s custody.

The Alappuzha police team alerted the Kochi City police as a hunt was launched with nearly 100 policemen. The fire and rescue services diving team was also tied up at one point as it was suspected that the suspect might be hiding near the nearby water body. They launched a dinghy and began running through the ridges of the swampy area looking for the suspect.

Police also issued a warning, which was widely circulated on social media, that a dangerous suspect was at large.

After nearly four hours of hunting, around 10 p.m., Santhosh was spotted near a culvert near the water body with only his head sticking out. “The flashing beam of our torch fell on him. When he attempted to escape, he ran straight into the hands of the police,” said Anil Raj, head firefighter of the diving team.

The Mannancherry police team rushed back with him the same evening.

Soon, district police chief (Ernakulam Rural) Vaibhav Saxena formed a special investigation team led by a DySP to probe similar theft attempts in North Paravur on November 13, sparking rumors that a ‘Kuruva gang’ was behind it. This was after CCTV footage emerged of two half-naked men with their faces covered.

A case was registered with North Paravur police and Vadakkekara police. Kochi City Police have also intensified patrolling and deployed more men at key points such as bus stands and railway stations.

No proof yet

“So far, we have no evidence to suggest that the ‘Kuruva’ gang is behind these attempts. The gang is known for its violent behavior, which is not the case here. Nevertheless, we are collecting details from history books with similar modus operandi and verifying their current whereabouts,” said S. Jayakrishnan, DySP, Munambam.

Meanwhile, Maradu police in Kochi city have handed over two suspects to Ernakulam Rural police. “They claim to be Keralites and have issued identity cards for addresses in Wayanad and Nedumkandam. However, they speak with a Tamil accent. Moreover, their wives were found to belong to the Kuruba tribe,” Maradu police sources said.

The Mannanchery police have since registered the arrest of Santhosh, who had multiple theft cases against him in Kerala and abroad. It is more or less confirmed that he was one of the suspects involved in the thefts. However, the police were unsure of Manikantan’s involvement and therefore did not register his arrest. They are looking for another suspect, it is learned.