82 days on, Khandya remains elusive

He is prime suspect in kidnap drama which claimed DySP Handibag's life

Eighty-two days have passed since DySP of Chikkamagaluru Sub-division Kallappa Handibag committed suicide after a kidnap drama. Yet, Praveen Khandya, the prime suspect in the case and Bajrangdal leader, remains elusive.

The case has indeed turned into a juggernaut for the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) which is investigating into the case. The CID sleuths   are caught in a bind as they have to submit the charge sheet  to  the court within 90 days of registering the case. Or else, the prime suspect will be declared as ‘absconder’.

A source in CID claims to have information on Khandya changing his hideouts from Maharashtra to Madhya Pradesh among other states. Yet, Khandya continues to evade arrest.

Tracing Khandya
Recently, a CID team had gone to Maharashtra and searched the hideout, but to no avail. The investigators have been trying hard to trace the location of Khandya by keeping a tab on phone calls of those people considered close to him, through call detail records (CDR) technology. Apart from his relatives, he is in constant touch with his associates over phone in Mangaluru and Shivamogga, the investigators said.

It is evident with his friends in the organisation making continuous efforts to secure anticipatory bail for Khandya, even after the application for bail plea was spiked by both the district and the High Court. Such is the organised network that, some of his associates are also raising funds to bear the expenditure towards filing an appeal in the apex court.

CID DIG Sonia Narang, who has taken up the investigation after the transfer of SP Dr Rajappa, the investigation officer (IO) in the case, is making all efforts to trace Khandya in the remaining eight days. Superintendent of Police K Annamalai said, ‘The district police have also formed a separate team, as Khandya has taken refuge outside the State”.