Gangs hired by politicians – Police

Commissioner of Police Abdullah Riyaz has said that the investigation of the brutal killing of Ungoofaaru constituency MP Dr. Afrasheem Ali has revealed that some political and some business people hire gangs for different actions.

CP Riyaz made his remark at the press briefing held at Iskandharu Koshi last night. Speaking to the press, Riyaz said that the Police will arrest all those responsible for funding the murder of MP Dr.Afrasheem.

“We will not hesitate to arrest the people responsible for this. The Police will not consider the position of the culprit during such an arrest,” he said.

CP Riyaz said that the Special Operations force of the Police will be working hard to curb violence related crimes.

“What criminals should do is stop it. Gangsters should quit it and choose the right path. I urge the youth to be of use to the nation.

Meanwhile, a study showed that that many gangs receive income through exchanges with political actors or business people and only a minority of gangs refuses to accept money this way. The study showed that the exchange is usually in the form of money, or sometimes alcohol, given to gangs to participate in political protests, start political riots, destroy property or injure a third party. Money is often given to a gang to initiate a fight so as to divert media attention from a political issue.

According to the research, businessmen will also use gang members to scare business relations into paying money owed. The study showed that family problems play a significant role in youth involvement in gangs. A number of gang members interviewed revealed that they joined gangs after their parents divorced or after the death of a parent.