Kundapur MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty said on Wednesday that he had received a call from the underworld don Ravi Poojary for the third successive day. Mr. Shetty had received two threat calls on May 25 from Poojary and two more calls on May 26. But Mr. Shetty had not responded to Poojary’s calls on May 26.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Shetty said that he received the call from Poojary at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Poojary spoke in Tulu. On Wednesday, Poojary talked to him with respect. He (Poojary) told me that he had received several calls from other places speaking highly of me (Mr. Shetty). “He told me that he did not want a single rupee from me,” Mr. Shetty said. He said I know you help poor people.
Mr. Shetty said that Poojary told him that he was helping a wrong person. But Mr. Shetty refused to divulge the name of this person. Mr. Shetty said that he told Poojary that he did not have any connections or dealings with anyone from underworld since his student days.
“But if anyone comes to me (Mr. Shetty) with his or her problem, I try to solve it. I told him that I have not called anyone from the underworld. Poojary told me that he will not call me again,” he said.
Within two minutes of the call, I informed the police. I am not afraid of death. I do not want police security either. “The district police have given me all help they could give me,” Mr. Shetty said.
