Needle of suspicion points to Seena

Jailed rowdy  Bettanagere Seena’s henchmen could be involved in the brutal murder of JD(S) leader B M L Krishnappa on Wednesday night, police suspect.

In 2008, Krishnappa had got his political rival and member of Nelamangala Taluk Panchayat, Hadiyaala Devi, killed by a gang of Bettanagere Shankar. Devi was the husband of Seena’s sister.

Police suspect Seena’s gang might have killed Krishnappa to avenge the killing of Devi. Seena and Shankar are cousins. At present, the latter is lodged in Hindalga Jail, Belgaum.
What might have added fuel to the fire was Krishnappa’s support to Shankar’s gang.

Seena was released from jail only four months ago. It was probably his gang which had made an unsuccessful attempt on Krishnappa’s life two years ago. Devi’s two sons were also said to be involved in that incident, police said.

Gang rivalry

E Krishnappa, JD(S) MLC and producer of Kannada film ‘Mungaru Male’, says his namesake might have been caught in the crossfire of dreaded gang rivalry in Nelamangala. The rowdies were very active in the region and every politician had to side with one or the other, he said.

Just an hour before he was killed, Krishnappa had coffee at Samrat Hotel in Seshadripuram. According to his friend Chandrappa, the deceased had forgotten to carry his service revolver.

The truck that was parked horizontally on the road to block the path of Krishnappa’s car was abandoned by the assailants after their mission was over. They reportedly fled in a Tempo and a car.

The murder resulted in an uneasy calm in Nelamangala and the surrounding areas where Krishnappa’s supporters went on the rampage. Ten platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police had to be deployed to bring the situation under control.