The Mangaluru City Police, on Wednesday, arrested a youth in connection with a stabbing incident reported in Ullal police limits on Monday. Thy are still on the lookout for the other accused in the incident and two other stabbing incidents reported subsequently on Tuesday early morning and afternoon.
Commissioner of Police M. Chandra Sekhar told reporters here that all the victims of the stabbing incidents were innocent. Even fisherman Raju Kotian, who was stabbed to death on April 12, was innocent, he said.
The stabbing incidents are said to be in retaliation to the murder. The police would go to the root of the incidents, he said. Mr. Sekhar gave the name of the arrested person as Shivaraj alias Shiva (18), son of Kamalaksha from Krishnanagar, Kumpala. The accused along with around five others had allegedly stabbed Ibrahim Nasfan, who was going to work at the Mangaluru fishing harbour, early Monday morning.
A special team comprising three police inspectors under Assistant Commissioner of Police (South) R.R. Kalyana Shetty has been formed to investigate the Nasfan case as well as two subsequent stabbing cases, he said. More than 600 police personnel, including those from Karnataka State Reserve Police, Karnataka State Industrial Security Force and others, have been posted in sensitive areas in Ullal police limits even as prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure have been clamped for a week, Mr. Sekhar said.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner admitted that the police was unable to trace the accused who had indulged in sporadic stabbing incidents reported in Ullal police limits last year. The investigation is on and the police is confident of nabbing the accused in those cases too, he said.
Stating that Ullal Police Station has full strength of sanctioned personnel, Mr. Sekhar said the Commissionerate has sought enhancement of sanctioned strength in some of the important police stations in the city based on the work load, including Ullal.
Reacting to the absence of a full-time Police Inspector for Ullal for the past four months, Mr. Sekhar said the government has to appoint one. Temporarily, the Panambur Police Inspector is made in-charge of the Station, he said.
