JOIN USA notorious rowdy, who was found involved in campaigning for a political party on Tuesday night, was taken into preventive custody by Bharathinagar police on Wednesday.
‘Brigade’ Azam, 40, a resident of Pulikeshinagar and a dealer in used cars, was seen campaigning for Bangalore Central Congress candidate Rizwan Arshad in an open jeep near Nagawara Junction on Tuesday night. The Bharathinagar police swung into action and took him into custody on Wednesday. He was taken into custody to ensure peace, harmony and law and order. The police released him after taking an undertaking from him that he would not indulge in any rowdy and anti-social activities, added the police.
Congress candidate for Bangalore Central Rizwan Arshad, along with Home Minister K J George and Minister for Infrastructure Development, R Roshan Baig, was campaigning at Govindapura in Kadugondanahalli on Tuesday night. They were all in an open jeep when suddenly Azam got onto the vehicle and sat with them and waved at the crowd.
Upset with the unexpected development, George called up Bangalore City police commissioner R H Auradkar and senior officers and censured them for the mess.Deccan Herald’s efforts to contact the home minister for a comment on campaigning along with a notorious rowdy did not yield results.
When contacted, Arshad told Deccan Herald: “I did not know that the person who joined us was a rowdy. It is difficult to establish the identity of a person when thousands gather at a particular place. I don’t have contact with any anti-social elements and rowdies. I will be more cautious henceforth.”
Azam is allegedly involved in more than 15 heinous crimes in different parts of the City. He is a rowdy-sheeter in the Pulikeshinagar police station and has to stand trial in Arms Act cases in K G Halli, Mahadevapura and Cubbon Park. He is also involved in a murder case in Bharathinagar and two assault cases in Shivajinagar.
He allegedly gave life threat to a person and a case was registered with Ashok Nagar police in this regard. A case was registered against him when he obstructed a government official from discharging his duty in Bellary. He is also involved in an abduction case and was imprisoned between 2010 and 2011 after Shivajinagar police booked him under Goonda Act.