JD(S) fields dreaded goon Praveen in Sudhama Nagar

The number of history sheeters who have been given tickets by the JD(S) to contest the BBMP polls has touched six with three more such elements figuring in the final list of candidates released on Monday.

V K Praveen (46) alias ‘Malayali’ Praveen, who was detained under the Goonda Act in 2011, has been given the JD(S) ticket from Sudhama Nagar ward in Chickpet Assembly constituency. (His wife Saraswathi had contested from the Hombegowdanagar ward in 2010 BBMP polls.) The City police describe Praveen as one of the ‘most dreaded’ criminals they have come across in the last two decades.

Praveen, according to police records, has been into criminal activities since 1993 and was involved in as many as 66 cases, including murder, attempt to murder, dacoity, abduction, assaults, extortion, forgery and cheating. There is a history sheet against him in the Sampangiramanagar police station.

Praveen, however, was acquitted in many of the cases for want of evidence. He did not limit his operations to one particular area in Bengaluru. He was booked for crimes by the  Pulakeshinagar, Peenya, Mico Layout, Wilson Garden, Adugodi, SJ Park, Ulsoor Gate, Jayanagar, SR Nagar and Madivala police in the City and the Nelamanagala police in Bengaluru Rural district and the Gauribidanur police in Chikkaballapur district.

Over a period of time, he built his own gang and went on a crime spree, particularly after 2000. Praveen made five attempts to eliminate his rival gang members. He chose abductions and extortions to make money, say the police. He was arrested and sent to jail many times, but he managed to obtain bail and continued his criminal activities. It became extremely difficult for the police to control his operations in Wilson Garden and SR Nagar areas in 2011.

Finally, in December 2011, the police detained him under the Karnataka Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Drug Offenders, Gamblers, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders and Slum Grabbers Act, 1985, which is commonly known as the Goonda Act.

Praveen is said to have entered politics only to evade further action by the police. He almost gave up criminal activities following his release after being detained under the Goonda Act. However, he continues to dominate SR Nagar and Wilson Garden through his associates, the police say.

The two other history sheeters who figure in the JD(S) final list are Syed Mujahid from Bharathinagar (Ward number 91) and Ashwaq Ahmed from Manorayanapalya (Ward number 33). There are rowdy sheets against the duo in the Shivajinagar police station. They were members of two gangs involved in a series of rioting, dacoity and murder cases, the police said.

In first list, the JD(S) had given tickets to three rowdy sheeters, Arif Pasha and his son Imran from Bapujinagar and Padarayanapura wards respectively, and ‘hooch queen’ Marimuthu from the Sagayapuram ward.