Six associates of Bannanje Raja held

The City police have arrested six associates of underworld don Bannanje Raja allegedly involved in an extortion case and have also seized three pistols and 18 live bullets from them.

 

The arrested are: Ijaj Bandenawaj Patel (26) of Nandral in Indi taluk of Bijapur district, Vilas Keshav Rathod (23) of Arakeri Tanda in Bijapur, Hussain alias Gidda Saifan Shaikh (25) of Halasangi in Indi taluk, Abbas Ali Mohmadmulla Shaikh (50) of Halasangi, Hazarath Ali alias Babu Mohammadgous Shaikh Momin (24) of Karadagi in Savanur taluk of Haveri district, and car driver Sangamesh Neelappa Nasi (28) of Bijapur, at Varur in the taluk, on Friday evening.

ACP A R Badiger, Prabhugouda, A B Hiregoudar, and others were in the special team that made the arrests. The car used by the accused and their mobile phones were also seized.

Ravindra Prasad, Police Commissioner, said: “On June 1, Raja had threatened to kill businessman Omkarappa B R Halagappa in Shimoga and he had demanded a sum of Rs 50 lakh.” 

On Friday, the Shimoga police arrested Mahesh alias Achangi Mahesh and Anand alias Navale Anand, and gathered information that weapons were being brought from Bijapur to murder the businessman. 

Accordingly, ambush points were set up on different roads surrounding the twin cities and the car in which the accused were travelling was followed by the police from Kusugal Road till Varur. 

At Varur, all of them were arrested when a pistol was being handed over to Hazarath Ali, who was waiting there, he said.