Four held for plot to murder shopkeeper

Quick action by the southeast division police led to the arrest of a gang of three who robbed a car Wednesday night, while also averting a possible kidnap and murder of a man the next day.

The accused, Mani (30) and his associates Roopesh (33) and Selvaraju (33) intercepted the car belonging to Peddanna (55) who was returning from work on Hosur Road.

Peddanna is the owner-cum-driver of a cab and offered exclusive services to an IT company in Whitefield.

The trio assaulted Peddanna with lethal weapons and sped away with his car. Taking help from passersby, Peddanna reached Hulimavu police station and lodged a complaint.

A special team formed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) M B Boralingaiah spotted the vehicle on NICE Road the following evening and caught the accused after a hot chase.

Upon interrogation, the accused confessed that they had taken a supari of Rs 3 lakh to kill one Shivakumar, a shopkeeper in Siddapura, and robbed the car from Peddanna to abduct Shivakumar.

The accused also confessed that a Siddapura-based moneylender, Lakshmana, gave them supari to kill Shivakumar for having an affair with his wife. Based on their statements, police arrested Lakshmana, who said Shivakumar was responsible for his mother’s death, as she came to know about the affair.

Police learnt that Lakshmana’s mother died after a prolonged illness. They arrested Lakshmana and booked him for an attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy.