Is the ugly gun culture seeping into the otherwise peaceful Telugu states? Recent incidents point out that the gun culture is raising its head in both Telugu state.

Poor monitoring of settlement gangs, inter-state criminal gangs and rising drug addition among the youth who take to gun-running are being touted as some of the reasons for the emerging gun culture. Massive influx of Biharis into Hyderabad in search of jobs, particularly that of security personnel, has brought in illegal guns to Hyderabad and its surroundings.

Here are the recent incidents that cause concern.

November 16, 2014: A gang of chain-snatchers shoot at the people who tried to prevent a chain-snatching attempt. A gang member, a Bihari migrant, fired at the constable and other locals. The police arrested 10 persons, all Biharis in this case.

September 25, 2014: Hired killers waylay a cab near Eluru, kill three persons, including an old man in connection with old enmity. Gandham Marayya, Pagidi Marayya and Narasimha Rao of Pinakadimi in West Godavari district killed. Later investigations showed that their rivals hired killers in Delhi.

June 14, 2014: four highly educated youths (an engineering student, a commerce post-graduate, a BEd student and a graduate) plan to kidnap a jeweller in Vijayawada and try to extort Rs 1 crore from his kin.

September 22, 2007: Rival student gangs fire at each other in Deccan Engineering College. One student, identified as Mukarram Ali Siddiqui, was shot at.

April 2007: Hotelier Azeemuddin threatens a family by pointing gun at them. This incident was reported from Hyderabad's Kushaiguda.

2006: Gun-totting youths try to kill TDP leader Katragadda Nagamalleswara Rao in Vijayawada city.

Sept 20, 1998: Siticable MD Potluri Ramakrishna killed by his business rivals near Executive Club in Vijayawada city.