K'taka CM denies knowledge of 'link' between Fazil compensation and Suhas Shetty's murder
Haveri (Karnataka), May 4 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said he was unaware of reports suggesting that compensation given to Mohammed Fazil’s family was allegedly used to hire contract killers involved in the murder of Hindutva activist Suhas Shetty.
The Chief Minister said he would discuss the matter with Home Minister Parameshwara and district in charge Minister of Dakshina Kannada Dinesh Gundu Rao to get more information.
In 2022, Fazil was murdered in Surathkal by a gang of masked men. History sheeter Suhas Shetty is the prime accused in the murder case.
Addressing reporters here, Siddaramaiah said, “I have to look into it. I don’t have any information. Yesterday Dinesh Gundu Rao and Home Minister (G Parameshwara) had been there. I haven’t spoken to them yet. I will say after talking to them.”
He was replying to a query on police investigation revealing that Rs five lakh out of Rs 25 lakh compensation paid to Fazil’s family by the state government after his murder in 2022, was allegedly paid to the contract killers to eliminate Suhas Shetty.
On Friday, Suhas Shetty was hacked to death. Eight people, including Fazil's brother, have been arrested in this connection.
Asked about the formation of a task force to tackle communal issues, the CM said Parameshwara has said that a police wing was required to identify and subdue anti-social elements.
“I will speak to the Home Minister about it (task force) and then I will let you know,” he added.
Regarding the Centre’s decision to conduct caste census, he said the BJP leaders have been criticising him for conducting the caste census alleging that he was pitching castes against each other.
“Now what are they saying? Today they are wholeheartedly welcoming it (caste census). It’s apparent that they were opposing it for political reasons and not on facts.
To a query about JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda’s allegation that the Congress was adopting "double standards" with regard to the Pahalgam terror attack, Siddaramaiah sought to know what had Gowda said against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Centre before joining the BJP and what is he saying now.
“Who is adopting double standard? It’s Deve Gowda only,” he alleged.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
