About 95 per cent of criminals nabbed during a crackdown by the Kerala Police over the past month have been let off under station bail.
According to a report by onmanorama, out of the 14,287 goons and other anti-social elements arrested since December 18 under 'Operation Kaval', only 650 landed in jails.
Police conducted searches for 43,980 persons, raided 20,054 houses and summoned 13,054 people to stations. 1,182 accused who were absconding were taken into custody during the operation and the bail of 63 persons was cancelled, the report added.
Despite this, many, including those convicted of rape and murder have been let free. Additionally, many of them were drug addicts.
The Covid-19 pandemic, the reluctance of authorities to lodge cases under the Kerala Anti Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) appear to have led to the release of a number of criminals.
As many as 543 such prisoners managed to secure parole and/or bail owing to a Supreme Court order that said jails must not be crowded owing to the Covid-19 situation in the country, the publication stated, adding that 720 more such individuals are seeking release from jail in line with the apex court's directive.
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