Notorious rowdy, on the run after murders, robberies, arrested

Gautham had gone underground after killing rival in 2012

The Organised Crime Wing (OCW) of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on Monday arrested a 27-year-old notorious rowdy Gautham, who was involved in many cases including attempt to murder, robbery and extortion in Bengaluru.

Gautham was picked up from Hosur bus stand based on a tip-off from a police informant. He was also involved in the murder of another rowdy Shivakumar, the police said.

According to the police, the feud between the two rowdy gangs dates back to 2005 when Shivakumar had a stand-off with one Velu, a rival gang member. Shivakumar then murdered Subramanya, a family member of Velu to gain notoriety.

To take revenge on Shivakumar, Velu and his associates killed Shivakumar’s elder brother Ashwath Narayana.

Shivakumar, who came out of jail, then murdered the retired additional superintendent of police and KPTCL chief vigilance officer K S Thammaiah in 2009 in Yelahanka.

Thammaiah was murdered as he was a nightmare for rowdies in the city and led the Anti-Rowdy Squad when Kasturirangan was the police commissioner.

In 2011, Shivakumar murdered Velu to take revenge for his brother’s killing. Shivakumar used to intimidate Velu’s family members boasting that since he had killed a police officer, Velu and his family members were no big deal for him. Enraged by this, Velu’s relatives Shanmuga, Ranjitha and Gautham took the help of rowdy Silent Sunil and Market Vedi and hatched a plot to eliminate Shivakumar.

On December 9, 2012, Gautham and his gang hacked Shivakumar to death with lethal weapons near Electronics City and escaped.

Gautham, who had been underground ever since, was arrested on Monday. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.

Attack on cop

Gautham was booked under the Arms Act for assaulting and extorting a police officer at gun point in 2013.

He was also a history-sheeter at the Silver Jubilee Park police station and had cases registered against him at SJ Park, Basavanagudi, Ashoknagar and Tilak Nagar police stations.