Bantwal: Police open fire at the car; Three arrested
Bantwal: Police personnel, during the night beat on Thursday, arrested three persons cinematically by opening fire at a car that tried to escape without stopping at Manihalla in Bantwal taluk.
The arrested are Saddam, a resident of Maripalla; Mohseen, a resident of Suratkal in Mangaluru; a Bollai resident Irshad. It is said that the Mansoor and Ammi, both residents of Farangipete, fled the scene.
Incident Details: Night beat police on Thursday ordered a red Swift car approaching from Belthangady to stop at Belthangady check-post. But, the accused drove off without paying heed to the cops' orders. Consequently, the Belthangady police passed information to Ponjalkatte police. But the men-in-car escaped even from Ponjalkatte police and drove towards Bantwal. Then the Belthangady police intimated the Bantwal police. Immediately, the Bantwal police came into action and opened fire at the car at Manihalla.
A team of police personnel lead by Bantwal probationary IPS officer Akshay M. Haake, SIs Chandrashekhar, and Prasanna signaled the car to stop at Manihalla. But the miscreants tried to escape from the police by driving on them. However, police opened fire at the car and managed to arrest three of them in a cinematic style.
According to police sources, among the arrested are Maripalla Saddam who is accused in various cases including murder and attempt to murder; while Mohseen has over 14 cases registered against him at different police stations in the district.
Two swords, one rod, chili powder, monkey cap, and ropes have been found in the car. The cops have expressed suspicion over the possibility that the accused had traveled with lethal weapons in the vehicle to conduct the robbery. The police, who are carrying out the investigation, are in search for the escaped men.
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Karnataka govt forms SIT to probe cases against BJP MLA Munirathna
Bengaluru, Sep 21: The Karnataka government on Saturday constituted a Special Investigation Team headed by Additional Director General of Police (CID) B K Singh to probe three criminal cases registered against BJP MLA Munirathna, including a casteist slur and a rape case.
The announcement came after a court remanded Munirathna to 14 days’ judicial custody in an alleged rape case earlier in the day.
The investigation team also comprises three IPS officers, Labhu Ram, Soumyalatha S K and C A Simon.
The team has been asked to probe not only the three cases against him but also all the cases registered against the MLA and his aides in various police stations across the state.
Munirathna was arrested a week ago in connection with two FIRs being lodged against him for alleged harassment, threats and casteist abuse.
Soon after he was released on bail, he was arrested in a rape case and was remanded to judicial custody on Saturday.
The cases against the Rajarajeshwarinagar MLA were filed at Vyalikaval police station on September 13.
In the first FIR filed by the police based on a complaint by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractor Cheluvaraju, the MLA is accused of demanding Rs 30 lakh as a bribe and threatening to terminate his contract if he did not pay the money.
The contractor alleged that Munirathna had initially demanded Rs 20 lakh in 2021 for a solid waste disposal contract. However, despite making that payment for getting 10 auto trippers for a waste management contract, he was not sanctioned those vehicles by the civic body.
According to the FIR, Cheluvaraju was being repeatedly harassed by the MLA, who allegedly verbally abused him and also physically assaulted him.
In the complaint, the contractor further alleged that the MLA did not allow him to execute his work and had even slapped him in September 2023.
Three others, including government officials, were also named in the FIR for allegedly threatening, abusing and harassing the contractor.
Cheluvaraju also claimed in the complaint that he contemplated ending his life because of the repeated harassment.
The contractor has also released a purported audio recording of a phone conversation between him and Munirathna.
According to the police, the second FIR against the accused MLA was filed on the complaint of a BBMP corporator who alleged that Munirathna had hurled casteist abuse, and insulted his caste and family.
The third case was registered on September 19 against Munirathna and six others following the complaint by a 40- year-old woman who alleged that the rape took place at a private resort within the Kaggalipura police station’s jurisdiction.
While Munirathna said the allegations against him were "far from truth", the BJP called it the politics of vendetta.
"For the last 15 years, there have been no allegations by a contractor or from the public that Munirathna has used derogatory language. After the Lok Sabha polls and results, conspiracies have been planned against me," the MLA said.
