Bengaluru cops question Muthappa’s second wife in Ricky Rai attack

Bengaluru: The second wife of late gangster Muthappa Rai was questioned by the Ramanagara police on Sunday in connection with the attack on his son, Ricky Rai.

Anuradha Muthappa Rai, 52, appeared before the Bidadi police around 11 am and was questioned by a team of investigators for about five hours. She later spoke to reporters.

"I have no connection with the case. Still, I don’t know why a complaint and allegations were made against me. I believe the police will deliver justice in this case,” she said.

"Let them find out who is behind (the attack) and punish them. That’s all I say. The last time I saw him (Ricky) was in October in court when we went to sign property settlement papers. Other than that, there has been no contact between us. If I am called again by the police, I will appear.”

Ricky, 33, was shot at from a distance of less than 50 metres while travelling in his black Toyota Fortuner near his house in Bidadi in the early hours of April 19.

So far, the police have arrested Vittal Monappa, 53, who was a gatekeeper at Ricky’s house in Bidadi. Before that, Monappa had served as a gunman for Muthappa for nearly three decades, and Ricky is said to have grown up under his supervision, according to the police.

Muthappa’s first wife, Rekha Rai, passed away in 2013. He later married Anuradha, originally from Sakleshpur and residing in Bengaluru, in 2016.

After Muthappa’s death in 2020, a property dispute arose between his children and Anuradha. During this period, Anuradha approached the court.