Notorious gangster ‘Seizing’ Raja, key figure in Chennai underworld, shot dead in police custody

Starting out as a vehicle repossession agent, which gave N Raja the moniker ‘Seizing’ Raja, he became a key figure in Chennai’s underworld and one of the most wanted men in the region.

There has been an intensive manhunt for Raja in recent weeks – with posters bearing images of his face and criminal record plastered in several areas around Chennai. A senior officer said he had 10 warrants pending against him and that he had skipped court appearances several times.

On Sunday evening, a special task force arrested Raja from between the cities of Kadappa and Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh. He was then brought to Chennai for questioning.

The following morning, police took him to Akkarai, a quiet residential area, to allegedly recover a cache of weapons used in a string of violent crimes. Police claimed that at the recovery site, Raja made a desperate attempt to escape, drawing a country-made revolver and firing at the officers.

“He opened fire, and the police had no choice but to shoot back,” a senior officer said.

After he was hit by gunfire, Raja was rushed to Royapettah Government Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival, police said.

This encounter marks the third high-profile killing of a history-sheeter in Chennai since July. Earlier this month, ‘Kakkathoppu’ Balaji, labelled by the police as another “A-plus category rowdy”, was killed in a similar encounter near Perambur, just days after police gunned down Thiruvengadam, a suspect in the Armstrong murder case.

In the last two months, police have conducted operations that led to the detention of more than 150 individuals under the Goondas Act, and the arrest of around 375 gangsters.

Police have classified gangsters into various categories based on the severity of their crimes, with Raja and Balaji falling into the “A-plus category” – reserved for those involved in two or more murders.

Raja has been involved in more than 30 cases, including six of murder and six of attempted murder.

Detailing Raja’s rise in the world of crime, a senior officer said, “His criminal history began as a repossession agent for a private bank, seizing vehicles from defaulters, an occupation that earned him the moniker ‘Seizing’ Raja. But soon, he turned to more lucrative and violent pursuits, involving himself in Chennai’s real estate business, settling disputes through extrajudicial methods or kangaroo courts.”

“His underworld network expanded through the city’s suburbs, and he developed a reputation as one of Chennai’s most feared gangsters,” the officer said.

Twice arrested in Andhra Pradesh, Raja had always found a way to slip away from police custody or delay court proceedings. “But Armstrong’s murder tightened the surveillance on him,” an officer said.

For the last three years, he had been running his operation from Andhra Pradesh and had an active gang of 20 members, an officer said. Several of his gang members had been arrested in the last two months.