The police on Wednesday arrested an inter-State gang of supari killers (contract killers) — reported to be sharp-shooters — engaged to kill a criminal incarcerated at the Hindalaga Central Prison here.
The police arrested six members of the gang and seized from them five pistols, 29 live rounds, 18 mobile phones and over 20 SIM cards, monkey caps, and a car with a fake registration number.
The accused have been identified as Veer Madan Reddy of Bengaluru, Avinash Jagannath Marke of Thane in Maharashtra, Md. Haneef Abubaker of Puttur in Dakshina Kannada, Ahmed Syed Abdul Rahman of Ghatkopar in Mumbai, Abdul Karim of Belabdur in Dakshina Kannada, and Tahir Hussain alias Anup Gowda of Yelahanka in Bengaluru. Another accused, identified as Gulfam, is absconding.
The arrested were produced before the JMFC IV court on Thursday which remanded them in police custody for six days. The police also conducted medical examination of all the six arrested.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (L&O) G. Radhika and DCP (Crime) Amarnath Reddy, the accused had planned to free Dinesh Shetty, convicted for the murder of advocate Naushad, from Hindalaga Central Prison. Shetty was to be taken to the Civil Hospital for a check-up on Thursday.
The police could not immediately confirm as to who had hired the accused. They, however, ruled out that the shooters were in Belagavi to kill a high-profile politician.
The police said that they acted on a tip off about the gang and monitored their movement since Tuesday. Two teams were formed to nab them. One of the teams arrested three of the gang members from a room in Rex Annexe lodge opposite to Market Police Station near Central Bus Terminus. Another team arrested two persons near Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences and one more person was nabbed from Belagavi airport when he was to board a Bengaluru-bound flight.
A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 399, 402 and 120B of the IPC and Section 25 of The Arms Act, 1959
Meanwhile, security has been provided to all the VIPs in the city, including legislators, MPs, Deputy Commissioner, ZP Chief Executive Officer, and Judges at their residences, as a precautionary measure, sources said.
