The Chittoor police on Friday night nabbed two notorious hired killers — S. Singaravelan and Madhi Ayigan (aged 27 and 30) of Vellore district — at Gudipala mandal in Chittoor district, bordering Katpadi in Tamil Nadu. The duo was wanted by the TN police in several murders, vehicle lifting and cheating cases. In Chittoor district, the duo is wanted in red sanders smuggling, hijacking of red sanders vehicles and assault on highway riders. Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Chittoor SP Ghattamaneni Srinivas said that the daring operation of nabbing the TN-based duo was undertaken by Chittoor Rural (West) Circle-Inspector M. Adinarayana and his team. Singaravelan of Tiruvallam in Vellore district, a taxi driver, and Madhi Ayigan of Sambaranallu, a hatchery worker, of the same district joined hands together in 2011 and resorted to hired killings, kidnaps and hijacking of vehicles.
Double murder
In 2011, the Sivakanchi (TN), police had booked the duo for double murder of a father and son. In 2014, the duo had killed a taxi driver Suleman in Chennai over a dispute pertaining to transport of red sanders logs.
The Tambaram police had registered a case against the duo then. During the last four years, the two had been wanted in several other cases pertaining to hired killings, physical assault on staff of petrol bunks before looting them; lifting of four-wheelers for smuggling of red sanders; besides their direct participation in the smuggling activity.
Six months ago, the duo took Rs. 5 lakh for executing a murder, which they could manipulate for more money. Intimidating the target, the duo collected another Rs. 5 lakhs from him, but executing a fake murder and sending the photographs as proof to his rivals. The duo was under the scanner of various police stations in TN for committing similar offences elsewhere.
On January 21, the duo attacked an SUV and took away the vehicle after assaulting its driver near Gudipala in Chittoor district. Early in March, they took away a parked vehicle at Kanipakam, 10 km from Chittoor. Last week, they gave a slip to the police at Yadamarri in the district, when the police could seize red sanders logs and an SUV along with its driver.
In this backdrop, the police took the duo into custody on Friday at Arulpuram village of Gudipala mandal close to TN border, when they were moving suspiciously.
Five SUVs seized
Based on preliminary investigation, the Chittoor rural west police seized five SUVs at different places in Vellore and Chittoor outskirts. A toy pistol, used by the duo for intimidating, and specially designed footwear with nails attached to bottom were also seized.