Club owner murder at Manipal: Three held
Udupi, July 29: Miscreants stabbed the owner of Seventh RC club at Zepta Lang building on Manipal-Perampalli road to death at Manipal on Sunday at 1pm.
The victim was identified as Guruprasad Bhat (44), son of late Sridhar Bhat of Subramanya Nagar in Puttur. In a lightning operation, the police arrested three accused at Kandlur check-post in related to the incident.
Arrested were identified as Pradeep Poojary (36) of Kodannur New Colony, Sujith Pinto (35) of Kalyanapura and Rajesh Poojary (30) of Kunjibettu Kakkunje. Another accused was absconding, according to police.
The accused who came in a white colour car entered into the club and attacked Guruprasad Bhat and stabbed him behind his neck and fled the scene in the same car. Severely injured Guruprasad Bhat was taken to Manipal hospital by the staff of a hotel housed in the same building. Because of heavy bleeding, he died on the way to hospital, it is said.
Murder due to financial dispute
It is said that Guruprasad had financial transaction with many people and the accused might have killed him because of the dispute in financial transactions. He had borrowed money from many people and did not return it. Around 15 years ago, he was identified with Hitendra Prasad of Hai Maruta paper. They were running ‘Satya News’ and ‘Namma Udupi’ weekly magazine. Later, they had also started car gas, Inviter, Cyber, land business, wood carving factory and other businesses. Recently, Guruprasad Bhat had sold wood carving factory and got a club on March 12, 2018 on rent.
Till Saturday late night, he played cards in the club. During that time, he has received many threat calls to his mobile phone. On the wee hours, his friends have left for home and Guruprasad slept at the club. On Sunday at 9 am, he engaged himself in playing cards. After, everyone left the club at 12 noon, he stayed in the club with his workers Shankar and Jaya. The accused have used this time to kill him. When Guruprasad was attacked, the two workers fled the hotel due to fear, it is said.
CCTV footage helps police
The building housed Seven Heaven Bar, Hotel, Pub, Lodging and club and the entire building is under CCTV camera surveillance. The club where Guruprasad was murdered has five CCTV cameras. The white colour car and its number were recorded in the camera installed in the front of the lodge. Inside the club, the cameras have the footage of the accused attacking Guruprasad, and three of them making him to sit in his knees and another stabbed him on his neck.
The police who recovered the footage of the cameras installed in the building and the club managed to identify the accused. The police also recovered the mobile phone of Guruprasad Bhat and listened to the call records and arrested the accused.
SP Lakshman Nimbargi, ASP Kumarachandra, Manipal inspector Sudarshan, Udupi circle inspector Naveenchandra Jogi and others visited the place. Manipal police registered a case.
Relative of MLA Raghupathi Bhat
Guruprasad Bhat is the son of the maternal uncle of Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat. The MLA who visited the mortuary at Manipal Hospital said that though Guruprasad Bhat was his relative, he was not speaking about his business with his family. Everything should come out from the police investigation, he said.
“Miscreants have killed Guruprasad Bhat who has been running a club at Seventh Heaven Hotel. Police teams have arrested three accused at Kandlur check-post and one accused was absconding. Investigation is on”.
-Lakshman Nimbargi, SP Udupi
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
