Flower garden has been a ‘gangster haven’ for two decades

The area, situated behind Vinayaka Theatre, is surrounded by four police stations

Flower garden, the area under Cottonpet limits which recently saw the brutal murder of former councillor Rekha Kadiresh in broad daylight, has a two-decade history of bloody gang wars and murders, raising questions about police action to contain crime in the area. Though the police acted swiftly in the former councillor’s murder case and arrested the accused, the gruesome crime has caused considerable embarrassment to the police as the area, situated behind Vinayaka Theatre on Mysuru Road, is surrounded by four police stations. This includes the CCB head office with the Organised Crime Wing, which has been accused of failing to contain rowdy activities in its backyard . Admitting failure on their part, a senior police officer, on condition of anonymity, said that the murder of Rekha Kadiresh was hard to prevent as family members were involved. However, the police failed to notice the growing resentment between Rekha and others due to a weak intelligence network and improper documentation, which is basic to keep tabs on anti-social elements and gangs.