Mangaluru: Main accused believed Suhas Shetty posed threat to him, says Police Commissioner
Mangaluru: Mangaluru Police have arrested eight individuals in connection with the murder of rowdy-sheeter Suhas Shetty, who was killed on Thursday night in the jurisdiction of the Bajpe police station.
The arrested have been identified as Abdul Safwan, Niaz, Mohammad Muzamil, Khalandar Shafi, Ranjit, Nagaraj, Mohammad Rizwan, and Adil Mehroof.
Mangaluru Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal, addressing the media, said that ten individuals have been identified so far in the case and eight have been taken into custody. He revealed that Abdul Safwan is the main accused in the case.
According to the police, Safwan had been attacked by a gang in 2023 and feared that Suhas Shetty’s group would attempt to kill him. Believing his life to be in danger, Safwan allegedly planned the murder of Suhas Shetty.
In this context, Safwan contacted Adil Mehroof, the brother of Fazil, who was murdered in 2022. Police said that Adil agreed to help and promised a payment of Rs 5 lakh for the murder, of which Rs 3 lakh was paid in advance.
Commissioner Agrawal further stated that Niaz, another accused, involved his acquaintances Nagaraj and Ranjit in the plot. The group closely monitored Suhas Shetty’s movements before carrying out the murder on May 1, he added.
The investigation is still ongoing and further arrests are likely in the coming days, police said.
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Defamation case: Rahul alleges political malice; UP court sets March 9 hearing
Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday appeared before an MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur and recorded his statement in a 2018 defamation case related to his remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Gandhi told the court of Special Judge Shubham Verma that the allegations against him were made out of political malice and with an aim of destroying his image and that of his party, the Congress leader's advocate Kashi Prasad Shukla told PTI.
The court fixed March 9 as the next date of hearing on which the Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli has been asked to furnish evidence in his defence, the lawyer said.
Elaborating about the statement given by the Congress leader in the court, his lawyer said Gandhi denied all allegations levelled against him.
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"The allegations are baseless and unfounded. I have never used derogatory words against anyone, nor have I used such language with the intention of defaming anyone. A false complaint has been filed by distorting my statement," Shukla quoted Gandhi as saying.
"The allegations have been made against me out of political malice with the aim of destroying my image and that of my party. I have never used derogatory words against anyone, nor have I used such language with the intention of defaming anyone," Gandhi told the court
As the Congress leader emerged from the court after recording his statement, party supporters raised slogans hailing him. Gandhi smiled and waved at the crowd before leaving.
Gandhi entered the Sultanpur court around 10.40 am and left after recording statements around 11.15 am.
Ahead of the court hearing, some local Congress leaders had put up posters in Sultanpur that read 'Satyamev Jayate' (truth always triumphs).
The case dates back to 2018 when local BJP leader and former chairman of the District Cooperative Bank Vijay Mishra had filed a defamation complaint against Gandhi, alleging that during the Karnataka elections in 2018, the Congress leader made derogatory remarks against the then BJP president and current Union Home Minister Shah.
Santosh Kumar Pandey, the lawyer representing Mishra, said the cross-examination of the plaintiff and two witnesses has been completed.
The trial has been underway for the past five years. In December 2023, a warrant was issued against Gandhi for non-appearance before the court. He surrendered in February 2024, following which a special magistrate granted him bail on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each.
On July 26, 2024, Gandhi recorded his statement before the court, claiming innocence and terming the case a political conspiracy. Thereafter, the court directed the complainant to produce evidence in the case.
