Mangaluru (Karnataka), Oct 24: The Mangaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) police have nabbed a murder suspect who had been evading arrest for nearly 30 years, police said on Thursday.

The accused, involved in a murder and assault case near MRPL in the Surathkal police station limits, was finally captured after an intensive operation, they said.

As per the case details with the Surathkal police station, around 30 years ago, a murder and assault took place, police said.

According to police, the owner of Rakshak Industrial Security Institute, Abdullah, had hired five security guards for a Delhi-based company. On the night of March 12, 1995, at approximately 10:30 p.m., security guards Suresh, Narayan, and Devanna were on duty at the site when three unknown individuals approached.

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The guards questioned their presence at that late hour, leading to an altercation. Two of the individuals attacked the security guards, resulting in the death of Narayan, who sustained severe injuries. The Surathkal police registered a case in connection with the incident, back then, a senior police official said.

On the same night, two of the suspects, identified as Achhan Kunju and Jose Kutty, were involved in a separate altercation with some labourers near the canteen at the MRPL site, he said.

When Thomas, a relative of the suspects, tried to intervene and stop the fight, he was attacked with an iron rod. Thomas was later admitted to the hospital with serious injuries, he said.

A case was filed against Achhan Kunju and Jose Kutty for this incident as well. These same suspects were later involved in the attack and murder of security guard Narayan, the official said.

Despite the police's efforts to gather information and apprehend the suspects over the years, they managed to remain at large, he said.

After committing the crime, the suspects fled to Kerala and then went into hiding in various states, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu. An arrest warrant had been issued against them, he added.

Achhan Kunju passed away approximately eight years ago. However, the other suspect, Jose Kutty, continued to evade capture, police said.

For the past four months, the Mangaluru CCB police had been gathering intelligence on his whereabouts, they said.

On October 23, they arrested Jose Kutty Pappachan (55), son of Pappachan from Thrippunithura, in Kerala's Ernakulam and handed him over to Surathkal Police Station for further proceedings, the official added.

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New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday slammed the government over its move to change the name of MGNREGA, asking what is the government's intention behind removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi who is the tallest leader not just in India but in the world.

A bill to repeal the MGNREGA and bring a new law for rural employment -- Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 -- is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha. According to a copy of the bill, it seeks to introduce the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, in Parliament and repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of 2005.

Asked about the government's move, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Whenever the name of a scheme is changed there are so many changes that have to be made in offices, stationery... for which money is spent. So, what is the benefit, why it is being done?"

"Why is Mahatma Gandhi's name being removed. Mahatma Gandhi is considered the tallest leader not just in the country but in the world, so removing his name, I really don't understand what is the objective? What is their intention?" she told reporters in Parliament House complex.

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"Even when we are debating it is on other issues not the real issues of the people. Time is being wasted, money is being wasted, they are disrupting themselves," Priyanka Gandhi added.

The bill aims at establishing a "rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047", by providing a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.

The bill has been listed in the Lok Sabha in the supplementary list of business issued on Monday.

Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in the statement of purpose of the Bill, said MGNREGA has provided guaranteed wage-employment to rural households over the past 20 years.

However, "further strengthening has become necessary in view of the significant socio-economic transformation witnessed in the rural landscape driven by widespread coverage of the social security interventions and saturation-oriented implementation of major government schemes", he said.