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Police shoot dead two in Bangalore

Staff Reporter

Both were accused of murders, rape, extortion, armed robbery

Senior police officials and CCB police at the spot where Pedda Gunda was killed in an encounter in Bangalore on Saturday. (Inset) Pedda Gunda and Shankar

BANGALORE: In separate instances, teams attached to the Central Crime Branch shot dead two men with criminal antecedents in the early hours of Saturday here.

Pedda Gunda (32), the first to be shot dead, was an accused in three murders and 18 other cases of attempted murder, extortion and robbery. He was on bail.

Shankar (30), whom the police shot dead later, was an accused in a recent case of rape and was also wanted by several police stations of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for rape, extortion and attempt to murder, police said.

Initial escape

Giving details of the encounters, CCB police said they received information that Pedda Gunda was hiding in Tavarakere. But he managed to give them the slip when a team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police S.Y. Hadimani reached the spot late on Friday.

Following this, the police said, they once again managed to trace him to Kamakshipalya. Pedda Gunda escaped from here also on a motorcycle along with an associate and a chase ensued. The police said they cornered the duo and knocked down the motorcycle near Peenya Second Stage.

While his associate fled the spot, the police said, Pedda Gunda opened fire injuring Police Head Constable Krishnappa. Mr. Hadimani and Inspector M.P. Lokesh retaliated by firing three rounds at Pedda Gunda and killed him on the spot at around 3.15 a.m. Pedda Gunda, after coming out on bail about a month ago, had reportedly restarted his extortion and land grabbing activities, thus inviting the attention of the police.

Machete attack

The second encounter took place in Ramakrishna Hegde Nagar near Reva College at 4.30 a.m. A team led by CCB Inspectors Bale Gowda and K.S. Ashokan surrounded Shankar, who attacked Sub Inspector Sirajuddin with a machete. In response, the police said, Mr. Gowda and Mr. Ashokan fired one round each at Shankar, grievously injuring him. They took him to the hospital but he died on the way.

Shankar, a native of Tamil Nadu, was an accused in the recent kidnap and rape of a woman employee of Titan. Since then, he was at large. He was spotted by the police moving on Bagalur Road early this morning, and they attempted to detain him.

Shootings defended

Senior police officials, including Commissioner Shankar M. Bidari, Additional Commissioner (Law and Order) T. Suneel Kumar, Joint Commissioner (Crime) Alok Kumar and others visited the two sites. Mr. Bidari justified the police action and said they had to act in self-defence.

Both the injured policemen are said to be out of danger. All attempts by The Hindu to contact the families of the deceased failed. While Shankar's family could not be traced, Pedda Gunda's house in Kamalanagar was locked.

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