He allegedly extracted ransom for years

S. Ramachandran (59) of Aavaraikulam under Pazhavoor police station limits, who earned the title ‘Windmill Veerappan’ as he allegedly extracted ransom for the past several years from persons having windmills in this region, was beaten to death by a gang near Valliyoor on Friday afternoon.

Police said a gang, carrying clubs and iron rods, attacked Ramachandran and dumped him in a secluded place near Thirumalaapuram near Valliyoor. He breathed his last around 2 p.m. at the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital.

Ramachandran, whose native place is situated on the windmill track from Aaralvaaimozhi to Radhapuram, had earned the wrath of several windmill owners by extracting ransom from them for not damaging their installations.

Those who refused to pay money suffered huge losses as he allegedly damaged their windmills.

While the windmill industry generated employment for both skilled and unskilled labourers in this region, it also provided ‘indirect employment’ to persons like Ramachandran, who started extracting money from windmill owners by threatening that the wind turbine generators and evacuation facilities would be gutted if they were not prepared to pay him.

While a few of them gave the ransom to protect their business interests, others appointed security guards, but in vain.

Ramachandran and his associates would flee to Mumbai after successfully orchestrating their operations here, police said. When the police managed to arrest some of his associates, he engaged freshers and continued his ‘business’ over the phone.

However, he was arrested by a special police team on December 20, 2006, in Mumbai and detained under the Goondas Act.

The windmill owners still faced problems from him on release from prison.

He was arrested by the then Valliyoor DSP N.K. Stanley Jones at Vadakkankulam on July 27, 2012 and detained for the second time under the Goondas Act. On release, he continued with his operations.

At the time of his death, he was facing more than 20 cases.