JOIN USPolice invoke KCOCA against City gangsters
The City police, for the first time, have invoked the stringent Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act, 2000, against a local gangster and his 11 associates in connection with the murder of Sirpur Srinivas, the husband of Devasandra ward (KR Puram) corporator.
The gangster, Pratap H K (33), who is into real estate business, used to strike land deals with the help of a politician, police said.
Pratap is also a rowdy-sheeter at the Ramamurthynagar police station. He was operating an organised gang of criminals to further his interest in real estate.
On March 5, 2014, Pratap and his associates hacked Srinivas to death when the latter was at a saloon near his house. Both were rivals in their business and political affiliations. Pratap had attempted to kill Srinivas in April 2013 also, police said.
Given the sensitive nature of the case, the probe was handed over to the Central Crime Branch of the City police.
The CCB investigation revealed that Pratap and his gang members were planning to control the land mafia in the City. The State government has enacted a special law - The Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act, 2000, to effectively curb the activities of organised criminal gangs. Persons booked under the law can be arrested without any warrant and they may not secure bail easily.
Those convicted under KCOCA face life imprisonment or death as punishment.
Toddler dies in mishap
A two-year-old boy was killed on the spot after a BMTC bus hit the two-wheeler on which he was riding along with his parents near Ring road in Yeshwanthpur traffic police limits on Tuesday morning.
Murthy and Manjula, residents of Banashankari, were riding along with their son, Mithun, when a BMTC bus plying from Yeshwantpur to Banashankari (route number 410) hit the two-wheeler from behind.
The parents suffered minor injuries while the boy sustained head injuries.
Passersby rushed the trio to a hospital where the boy was declared brought dead. The driver fled the spot abandoning the bus.
2 touts arrested
The Central Crime Branch officers have intensified probe into the COMEDK fake student racket and have arrested two more touts.
The suspects have been identified as Anil Kumar Yadav and Zakir Ahmed.
The duo played a dominant role in identifying medical students from Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and other North Indian states, who would appear as proxy candidates in the COMEDK undergraduate test for medical seat aspirants.
The police who busted the racket a day after the recent COMEDK entrance test, have already arrested over 30 medical students and touts. They also searched the COMEDK office in Malleswaram on Saturday.