City police monitoring Bannanje Raja case

The City police are closely monitoring the developments related to the detention of don Rajendra alias Bannanje Raja in Morocco in a fake passport case.

The police top brass claimed that they were closely watching the developments as he was involved in a series of cases in Bengaluru since 1998.

“The City police are not dealing with the developments. The State Home Department is in touch with the agencies concerned in this regard,” City Police Commissioner M N Reddi told reporters on Thursday.

The possible return of Raja to India becomes significant even for the City police as he is involved in about 12 cases. The police will take suitable action, Reddi added.

ADGP (Crime and Technical Service) N S Megharikh said Mangaluru City Police Commissioner S Murugan had been directed to monitor the process to take Raja into custody as he was wanted in several cases in Mangaluru.

Raja called up a hotelier recently and demanded Rs five crore as ransom. Based on a complaint, the police took up the inquiry and during the investigation it came to light that the call had originated from Morocco. Hence, his detention was made with assistance from the local police in Morocco, he said. Officers from the Research and Analysis Wing have been instructed to provide evidence to their Morocco counterparts to establish Raja’s involvement in a series of offences in India, he said.

Security for V Day

The City police will ensure heightened security on Valentine’s Day on February 14. The police have decided to increase patrolling and security at a few places in the wake of possible raids by a few organisations.

The police will ensure heavy patrolling in a few areas on that day, including Lalbagh, Cubbon Park, MG Road, Church Street, Brigade Road and high-profile malls, he said.