How policing basics helped zero in on killers

5 constables of Vyalikaval station provided vital inputs

The top brass of the City police claimed they invested their expertise, experience and talent to crack the Mahantesh murder case.

However, there are five unsung heroes whose ‘common sense’ helped the senior officers solve the crime - all of them constables at Vyalikaval police station. Police Commissioner B 
G Jyothiprakash Mirji personally honoured them in his chamber.

One of the constables had kept an eye on Ayyappa, a slum-dweller in Vyalikaval, whose lifestyle changed overnight one-and-half years ago. He started using expensive gadgets and bought a new car. The constable grew suspicious and closely monitored his movements. Ayyappa vanished all of a sudden 15 days ago. His car too was not to be seen on the road.

But Ayyappa started using the car once again five days ago. The constable had a close look at the car and found it damaged in the front. 

He grew suspicious and reported the matter in detail to the station inspector. The inspector, in turn, passed on the information to a senior officer handling the murder case. 
The officer met the constable and collected more information.

Eye-witness

Incidentally, the rider of a two-wheeler (Scooty) turned out to be the eye-witness in the case. Collecting details about the rider’s girlfriend, who rode off with him after attending a conference at Hotel Atria, helped police zero in on him. The police took details of the car, in which the assailants had come, from the eye-witness and it tallied with the account of the police constable.      

The police managed to get Ayyappa’s cellphone number and they found that he was in Tamil Nadu. The call details helped the investigating team trace his exact whereabouts.

The officer directed his team to leave for Tamil Nadu, where they nabbed Ayyappa. 
During interrogation, Ayyappa told police how he came in contact with Kiran Kumar, who got Mahantesh murdered. Kumar, who had a habit of visiting discotheques and call girls, used the services of Ayyappa - then working as an auto driver - to travel between Vyalikaval and Yelahanka. Ayyappa would get thousands of rupees for his service and this changed his fortunes.  

Kumar was worried when a notice was served on him following the audit of the co-operative society’s accounts. He discussed the matter with Ayyappa and directed the latter’s gang to murder any officer visiting the society office for audit.

They hatched a conspiracy four weeks ago. Mahantesh happened to be the ‘unfortunate’ officer to be eliminated, sources said.

One of the five policemen, a head constable, told Deccan Herald that policing taught them the importance of keen observation.

“We are all extremely happy as our services helped crack the case,” he added.
The five constables requested Mirji that their names be kept confidential.