Bannanje Raja brought to Mysuru over 2010 kidnap attempt

Underworld don Bannanje Raja was brought to Mysuru from Belagavi on Friday. Police Commissioner B Dayananda told Deccan Herald, Raja, who is currently lodged at Belagavi Central Prison, was brought to Mysuru in relation to a case here.

DCP (Law and Order) Dr H T Shekar said Raja is being questioned about his suspected involvement in a shooting case reported in Jayalakshmipuram police limits in 2010. The investigators are expected to grill him for two more days.

Rohan Gupta, proprietor of Hotel Palace Plaza in Jayalakshmipuram, was returning home in his car on December 26, 2010, when a gang of six unidentified persons waylaid the four-wheeler. The assailants, who were speaking in Hindi, asked Rohan to get out of the vehicle. When the hotelier refused obey them, one of them opened fire from his pistol, damaging the vehicle.

Fearing for life, Rohan took to his heels, leaving behind his car. The car was found a day later at Hebbal Industrial Area, while a live magazine, with three bullets and a pellet, were recovered from the scene of crime.

After two years, in 2012, the police achieved a major breakthrough in the case by arresting prime accused Akash from his native place in Madhya Pradesh. Akash had been hired by Ashok, an accomplice of Bannaje Raja.