The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Prison gang arrested for supari killing

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Thursday, May 15, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Prison gang arrested for supari killing

Staff Reporter

Convicts serving life sentence and undertrials were involved

Bangalore: The city police have unearthed a gang — comprising two convicts serving life and a few undertrials within the Central Jail — allegedly involved in a movie-style supari killing while out on parole or bail.

Members of the gang were arrested by the Kalasipalya police when they assembled near Bettamma Circle in K.P. Agrahara on May 8 to allegedly kill one Vinod alias Amavasye, who is a rival of Rama, one of the life convicts.

The arrested are Raghavendra alias Deena (25), a native of Channapatna; Praveen alias Pammi (21); Satish alias Spot (21), and P. Harish alias Katu (20) all residents of Srinagar, Bangalore and Nitish alias Jimboo (19), resident of Brindavan Garden, Bangalore.

City Police Commissioner N. Achuta Rao told presspersons on Tuesday that Raghavendra was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his sister in 2003 as she had married against the family’s wishes.

Trial

He is also facing trial for allegedly killing Santosh Reddy, who was in love with daughter of Raghavendra’s aunt. Santosh was allegedly killed on instruction of the aunt, Saroja.

Mr. Rao said that Raghavendra, while serving sentence in jail, met Srinivasa alias Bethanagere Seena, who was remanded in judicial custody on charges of murders. Seena had first killed Basavaiah in Nelamangala police limits in 2005 and later in 2007 he killed Devaraj, an advocate, and Krishnamurthy, who witnessed Basavaiah’s murder.

The duo had allegedly joined hands with Ramaiah alias Dhobhi Ghat Rama, who was also convicted in a murder case and serving life sentence in the jail.

Help

Seena with the help of Raghavendra and Rama planned to eliminate Byalappa, father of Devaraj, who was the lone witness in Devaraj murder case.

At that point, the trio come in contact with other four accused — Praveen, Satish, Harish and Nitish — who were sent to prison as undertrials on their arrest in connection with a dacoity case.

Raghavendra, who had struck a deal with Seena to kill Byalappa and Vinod for Rs. 2 lakh, came out of jail on parole in February 2008 based on his good conduct, he said.

He, along with Praveen, Satish, Harish and Nitish, who were released on bail by then, killed Byalappa on April 18 near Nelamangala but were apprehended by Inspector S.K. Umesh and team when the gang was waiting to kill Vinod on May 8, the Commissioner said.

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