Bannanje Raja aide held, pistol seized

Acting on a tip off, Udupi city police team headed by PSI Maruti G Nayak nabbed Siraj Hasan, who was wanted by the police for various cases since a year, at Santhakatte on Saturday and recovered a pistol and four bullets from him.

On interrogation Siraj informed that he was living in Qatar since a year and had come to the residence of his second wife in Udupi only 10 days ago.

In 2003, Siraj was said to be involved in assault on Ganesh Jathanna and had been an aide in Kola Rakesh murder case in the same year at Malpe. He was put behind the bars in this regard and in 2005 along with his allies Mohommad Riyaz and Shabeeb, Siraj managed to escape after assaulting the police at the hospital, when the three culprits were taken for treatment.

During interrogation Siraj said that he was associated with underworld don Bannanje Raja and it is due to this association that he could develop ties with notorious criminal Madur Isubu alias Yusuf and others in Qatar. It is said that Isubu and Siraj had sketched out plans for murder of many people from the other community. Siraj will be kept in police custody till July 23.