Last week, Pradeep and Karthik walked into the police station and confessed to murdering Alex, a rowdy, in October this year. But they only ended up leading the cops to the actual perpetrators of the crime and helped expose a racket in innocents claiming responsibility for various crimes in return for money.
It did not take much time for the police to realise that the duo had nothing to do with the crime. They had confessed for a meagre sum of Rs. 5,000.
On investigating their claims, police learnt that they were construction labourers from Annasandrapalya. They had been working at an under-construction house at the time of the murder.
This incident exposed the ignorance and poverty among gullible people who are ready to risk their lives for a paltry sum, a senior police officer said.
"We explained to the duo that confessing to a murder can put them behind bars for life and can ruin the life of their near and dear ones. The duo broke down and informed that they were lured by a person offering Rs. 5,000 and an assurance to get them out of jail within a few days.”
This counselling not only saved them from legal complications, but also helped the police track down the perpetrators of the crime.
The police picked up Paramesh, a labour contractor who offered money to the duo, and later arrested Dayanidhi and Saravana, members of a Kannada organisation.
Dayanidhi and Saravana had floated the organisation to intimidate business persons in their respective localities and make quick money by extorting donations for various events. However, Alex, a habitual offender and a resident of the area, was also trying to do the same and was curtailing their growth, which led to his murder.
