Undertrials executed twin murders plotted by outsiders: ADGP

ADGP (Law and Order) Alok Mohan, who visited Mangaluru district-jail on Tuesday following the double murder inside the jail on Monday, said that the murders were pre-planned.

Speaking after a meeting with senior police officials, he said, “the murder was planned by outsiders and executed through undertrials.”

“There were about 40 stab injuries on the body of Madoor Isubu. A tree near the wall of the jail with its branches bending towards the prison may have helped pass knife-like weapons into the jail. However, no weapons have been recovered,” he said. 

He said another victim Ganesh Shetty, who was in a separate cell, was not stabbed, but had blunt injuries on his face and head. Efforts are being made to recover the weapons. However, the ADGP denied allegations of jail staff supplying weapon to culprits.

“The police are not deployed inside the jail, but they just screen outsiders to help jail authorities,” he said.

Alok Mohan said that the prison department and police departments would submit separate reports to the government. The possibilities of Vicky Shetty’s involvement would be looked into, he said.

ADGP (Prisons) Kamal Pant said that if the involvement of the jail staff is proved, murder cases will be filed against them as well.

Speaking to mediapersons after visiting the sub-jail, he said, “The prison department has already started an internal inquiry. If the charges against the staff that they helped supply weapons is proved, stringent action will be initiated against them.”

The departmental inquiry will be conducted by Mysuru prison chief superintendent P V Anand Reddy. Meanwhile, the Barke police have filed cases against undertrials Lithesh, Shobharaj, Yuvaraj, Pradeep and Umesh Kumbar. Sources said Lithesh and Shobharaj were arrested recently in connection with a murder case at Soorinje near Mangaluru.

‘Conduct probe’
Ramanath Rai, who is the district-in-charge minister of Dakshina Kannada, has asked the Home department to conduct a probe into Monday’s murders in the sub-jail in Mangaluru to ascertain how the weapons were supplied.

He said that stern action should be taken against the prison officials if they were found guilty of supplying weapons.

Action promised
Home Minister G Parameshwara told reporters in Bengaluru, “A team of senior police officers has gone to the Mangaluru prison where violence broke out between two gangs and two undertrials were murdered. Stern action will be taken against those responsible for the violence and the murders after the officers submit a detailed report,” Parameshwara said.

The government was making all efforts to arrest the assailants who killed Kannada scholar and researcher M M Kalburgi, he said.