‘Bullet’ Nagaraj, who had recently issued death threats to two women superintendents of police, was arrested in Periakulam in Theni district on Monday.
The Karimedu police in Madurai district were already on the lookout for him based on a complaint filed by a movie producer. A special team of seven policemen was formed by the Karimedu police to nab him. An FIR was filed under sections 294(b) (Sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place), 506 (Criminal intimidation) and 189 (Threat of injury to public servant) on him based on the complaint. TNM spoke to the Theni SP, who confirmed the arrest.
Nagaraj had issued death threats to the police over the past few days and had released audio clips of the phone calls. The threats were issued to Urmila, Superintendent of the Madurai Central Prison, and Madhanakala, the Superintendent of Police, Thenkarai, Theni district.
The conversation with Urmila starts with Nagaraj calling himself ‘The great general Nagaraj’ and goes on to say that there is not one prison in Tamil Nadu that he has not been in.
“I am not the old Bullet Nagaraj. You have to come out of jail someday. I won’t do anything, the boys might. They have killed many people in front of my eyes and I have seen that. The deputy jailer was burnt alive in Chennai,” he says.
He also said that senior prison officers had taken bribes from him and that he had sold ganja and had 10 cell phones with him when he was in jail.
“Can anyone even touch me? All those officers are thieves. Do you know how much bribe they have taken from me? They will not do anything, and who are you to do anything to me? I am recording this conversation now, if you do anything in your official capacity then I will die, because to me status is important,” he says, adding that he was from the ‘Kavariman’ lineage.
In the next audio clip, allegedly recorded when talking to SP Madhanakala, he says that as a woman police officer she has to know her limits and what she can do in different divisions of the police force.
“You claim that women are equal to men, no? Can you come alone during night raids? If you touch any of my guys in Periakulam, then you will have to face the music. I have not seen you, the next time I will make sure to harm you. If you harm my guys, my way of dealing with it will be bad. I know what will affect you a lot and I will do it,” he claims.
In the third audio clip, addressed to the Theni police, he says that if they dare conduct raids at his house without a warrant, then he will send them all to jail.
“Even if you search across the world, you can’t touch me until I come in front of you on my own accord. I studied law, how can I kill? I did not issue death threats to them, I told them that they will be punished in Nagaraj’s court. I will henceforth keep an eye on my house, wherever I am in the world. If you touch any of my relatives at my house, I know what I will do after that,” he is heard saying.