Shreyas H S
With Inputs from Dayanand Kukkaje / Deekshith D V
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, Aug 25: In what appears to be a major security lapse, Rashid Malbari, a suspected accomplice of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and who was under prosecution for several cases of illegal possession of arms, threat, extortion, and murder, has reportedly evaded surveillance and gone underground after he was granted conditional bail on July 21, 2014, say reliable sources.

Malbari was released after he was granted conditional bail by a Bangalore city court on July 21. He was slapped with charges of murder and illegal possession of fire arms under the Arms Act in a crime that took place at KG Halli, Bangalore. He was also granted bail by the JMFC court, Mangalore, according to a lawyer who wishes to remain anonymous. He was then sent to Central Jail, Bangalore.

However, his reported absconding has raised serious questions about the level of security provided by the police department, which seems to have failed in keeping vigil on the notorious man.

The information received by daijiworld from the Bangalore commissionerate states that it was a clear lapse of security on the part of the police. City police commissioner M N Reddy said he was unable to comment on the matter as it would be unfair of him to do so without examining the facts. Sources from Bangalore said the department was scouting for Malabari after he reportedly failed to appear at the station and in court twice after July 21.

Police sources from the Mangalore commissionerate told daijiworld that Malbari had married a girl and repeatedly tried to flee the country. Police sources within Mangalore CCB claimed they had credible information about his marriage, while sources from the commissioner’s office corroborated that he had been making deliberate efforts to leave the country.

Besides, highly placed sources within the RSS, corroborating the possibility of Malbari having gone underground, said the organization’s think tank in the district had received a red alert from the police department.

"We had information about his marriage and we did know that he was attempting to flee the country,” said Mangalore city commissioner R Hitendra. When asked on whether the fugitive had left the country, he said that he had no information on this.