The Surathkal police have arrested a 27-year-old man, Bharat Shetty, who is believed to be involved in 13 serious criminal cases. The accused, a resident of Kan Ashraya Colony in Idya village, Surathkal, has been arrested after a case was filed against him under the Goondas Act.

According to the police, Bharat Shetty has been linked to a series of heinous crimes in the Mangaluru City Police Commissionerate and Dakshina Kannada district. The criminal cases registered against him include charges related to stone-pelting at a mosque in the third block of Katipalla during Meeladunnabi celebrations last year, the murder of Rahul, a resident of Emmekere, multiple instances of murder and attempted murder (four cases), dacoity, unlawful assembly, assault, and crimes against women.

Despite facing multiple legal actions in the past, Bharat Shetty continued to indulge in criminal activities, thereby posing a threat to public order and safety, the police said. In light of his continued illegal actions, the Surathkal police have invoked the Karnataka Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Crooks, Drug Addicts, Gamblers, Goondas, and Unethical Traffic Offenders Act (Goondas Act) against him.

Shetty was previously released on bail in the stone-pelting case related to the Katipalla Mosque incident. However, police took swift action and registered a fresh case under the Goondas Act, following which he was arrested and produced before the court.

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Chamarajanagara (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday accused the central government and its agencies of consistently targeting Congress members by using searches on their properties, and questioned why similar action is not taken against BJP leaders.

He was reacting to searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday on several individuals, among them the sons of Karnataka Congress MLA N A Haris and the grandson of former Union Cabinet minister K Rahman Khan, in connection with a cryptocurrency-linked money laundering case.

"The central government always targets Congress leaders. Will they raid the houses of BJP leaders?" Siddaramaiah said in response to a question. More than a dozen premises in the city were searched as part of the operation carried out by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The premises searched comprised those of Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad, the sons of the MLA; Aqeeb Khan, the grandson of veteran Congress leader K Rahman Khan; and an alleged crypto hacker, Srikrishna Ramesh, alias Sriki, officials said.

The money laundering case stems from Karnataka Police FIRs and charge sheets filed in a 2017 case involving the hacking of national and international websites, theft of bitcoins, and the sale of these stolen virtual digital assets (VDAs) through crypto platforms by the alleged hacker Sriki and his associates.

Mohammed Haris Nalapad, Omar Farook Nalapad, and Aqeeb Khan are alleged to be beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime generated through this crypto-linked activity, officials added.