Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: The Kerala Police have launched social media monitoring to curb the activities of goons and criminals online, with the Cyber Cell examining the social media accounts of around 300 people listed as goons and habitual offenders.

The move follows the detection of attempts to glorify criminal figures and attract young people into criminal gangs. In the first phase, police will examine posts, likes and comments on the accounts of those on the goonda list.

ADGP P Vijay said police would also track people who share, comment on or like posts that challenge the police or promote illegal activities.

In the second phase, the accounts of people who regularly communicate with those on the goonda list will also be monitored. Police have found that even children are among the followers and admirers of some criminal figures.

Goonda groups often come together for birthday celebrations and other events, which are then recorded and uploaded as reels on social media. Police suspect that such posts are intended to create a cult of personality around the criminals.

Police cited an event in Kothamangalam involving Arjun Ayanki and his associates as an example of such a celebration. According to the police, Arjun had not been invited to the wedding, but was brought in for the celebration.

The groups reportedly communicate through social media platforms such as Telegram, and efforts are underway to identify such groups.

The Intelligence Wing collects information on goons and habitual offenders and passes it on to the Cyber Cell for further monitoring.