Rowdy-sheeters run amok in city; monitoring gaps alleged

Incidents of public intimidation and violence allegedly involving rowdy-sheeters have triggered concern across the Visakhapatnam Police Commissionerate limits, with police attributing several cases to old rivalries and substance abuse.

Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi has directed all stations to intensify surveillance and take preventive action against habitual offenders. “All stations have been instructed to keep a close watch,” a senior official said. However, some officers admit that monitoring in certain areas has become largely procedural, with limited ground-level enforcement.

Police sources said some offenders allegedly misuse their “rowdy-sheet” status to threaten residents and conduct illegal settlements. They are also accused of intervening in minor disputes involving students, land issues, and local quarrels. Though weekly counselling is mandatory, some reportedly skip sessions, allegedly with political support. Night beat checks and movement tracking are said to be treated as a formality in some cases.

A few offenders are believed to operate beyond their jurisdiction and work as bouncers for political figures. Vacant parks, isolated layouts, and less-patrolled stretches are reportedly used as meeting points.

Recent cases reflect the trend. In December last year, a youth from Vambay Colony in Madhurawada was allegedly taken to a forested area, assaulted, and threatened. In October, another youth from the same locality escaped an attempted attack; four accused were later remanded. A clash near a liquor outlet on Beach Road caused public panic. In Tagarapuvalasa, a private company employee was allegedly waylaid and robbed of his mobile phone and cash.

Police data show 22 major cases in the Commissionerate limits. Road accidents remain a leading cause of deaths, accounting for over 380 fatalities, compared with more than 180 domestic deaths. Murder data for 2025 list extramarital relationships as the motive in nine cases, rivalry in six, alcohol-related causes in four, financial motives and arguments in three each, and old grudges in two.

“Personal disputes continue to drive violent crime, along with road fatalities,” an officer said, stressing the need for sustained monitoring and community-level intervention.