‘Will use KAAPA against sharks’

KOCHI: Kerala Antisocial Activities Prevention Act (KAAPA) will be invoked against illegal moneylenders in next phase of Operation Kubera, said Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Saturday.

The Act would be amended in the Assembly session (starting June 9) to bring blade mafia within KAAPA ambit.  Mr Chennithala was inaugurating an inter-disciplinary seminar on preventive detention laws here on Saturday.

All district police chiefs would conduct adalats in their respective districts on June 20 to check complaints received so far against blade mafia.

Pointing out that efforts were being made to derail 'Operation Kubera', Mr Chennithala said the drive against loan sharks would continue irrespective of political affiliations.

“We will amend KAAPA to extend the detention from six months to one year and recover assets of anti-socials. Those who run money-chain programmes will also be brought under KAAPA. Also strict action will be taken against the police officers who have any connection with blade mafia or money-chain scams,” Chennithala said.

He also warned organisations that traffic children from North India, asking them to set up orphanages in respective states if they were interested in real service. “It is not good to make the children suffer by transporting them to Kerala. The state government is looking deeper into issues like child labour and child exploitation. Police has also been assigned to watch labour camps of migrant labourers to address such issues,” said Mr Chennithala.

Over 500 persons have been taken into custody after the launch of 'Operation Kubera' against illegal moneylenders.