Karnataka Minister of State for Fisheries K. Abhayachandra Jain has, in a complaint to the police, said that he received a threat call on Saturday from an underworld operative claiming himself to be Ravi Poojary.
The Minister said that the caller accused him of shielding an accused in the murder of Bajrang Dal activist Prashant Poojari in Moodbidri on October 9.
The Moodbidri police, who registered a case on Sunday, said that it was an internet call. According to the Minister, the caller spoke in Hindi, they added.
Meanwhile, Mr. Jain told The Hindu that he received the call on his cellphone around 12.30 p.m. on Saturday.
He said that a photograph showing him with an accused who has been arrested in the murder case went viral on the social media on Saturday. He believes that there is a link between the threat call and the photograph going viral on the social media.
“There is no question of my shielding anyone involved in the crime. I am here to maintain peace in the region,” he said and added that someone was trying to damage his reputation by circulating the photograph on the social media.
The police have arrested nine persons in connection with the murder.
Liks with underworld The threatening call has brought to the fore the links of underworld with Mangaluru city and Dakshina Kannada district.
This incident comes a few days after two motorcyclists fired two rounds at a jewellery shop in Puttur, near Mangaluru. One of the owners of Rajdhani Jewellers, which has shops in several parts of the district, had earlier received threat calls allegedly from an underworld operative.
Superintendent of Police Sharanappa S.D. said the investigation had revealed that a partner of Rajdhani Jewellers had received threat calls from underworld operative Khali Yogish.
There have been similar calls to builders and wealthy people in the city, which were followed by firing incidents too. On August 8, 2011, a miscreant fired at builder Suresh Bhandary when he was in his car at Kadri Park. An attempt to fire at industrialist Vijayendra Bhat was made near Barke police station on August 3, 2013. A manager of a property developer in Bejai was also targeted on March 10, 2014.
Following these incidents, the police arrested alleged associates of Ravi Poojary, Khali Yogish and Bannanje Raja.
