Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (DV)
Mangalore, Aug 26: In a major catch, the Mangalore city crime branch (CCB) police on Tuesday August 26 arrested a notorious criminal and aide of underworld element Vicky Shetty and three others.
The arrested are Rohidas alias Sharan alias Akash Bhavan Sharan (29), an accused in the murder of KVG College administrative officer Ramakrishna A S; Pavitra Kumar alias Pavi (26) of Kavoor, Sachin (30), a resident of Bejai hailing from Puttur, and Harsha Raj alias Harshit (22) of Kulshekar.
Addressing a press meet here on Tuesday, police commissioner R Hitendra said that based on credible information, the accused were arrested from Bondel-Pachanady overbridge on Tuesday morning. The accused were plotting a crime, and when the police reached the spot, some of them escaped in two bikes while the four were were caught.
The police seized a pistol, three bullets, a knife, a machete, mobile phones and a Nano car from the accused, Hitendra said.
Sharan is accused in 15 cases in various police stations in the district. In 2008, he was accused of murdering auto driver Farooq, and in 2009, of attempting to murder Khader and robbing him.
In 2009, Sharan allegedly raped an elderly woman at Yekkur and robbed her of valuables.
In 2011, he was one of the accused in the murder of Ramakrishna A S, administrator of KVG College, Sullia. He was arrested in 2012 and till October that year, he was in judicial custody, after which he was released on bail.
After getting out from jail, he along with Santosh alias Santu, Gowrish alias Gowri, Gautam, Akshay and Harshit murdered Kumar of Kavoor and went absconding.
On April 7, 2013, at around 11.25 pm, Sharan allegedly killed Prashant alias Pachu, manager of Sri Adhinatheshwara Roadlines, near Mangala Bar, with the help of other Vicky Shetty aides like Bhavanishankar, Naveen Shetty, Praveen, Bhavish, Pashu, Radhakrishna Shetty, Sachu alias Sachin and others. Pistol and swords were recovered and the case was filed in Mangalore south police station.
In December 2013, along with Shiv of Bajal and Akash Bhavan Rohit, Sharan tried to loot a wealthy person. While the others were arrested, Sharan managed to escape.
Among the other arrested, Sachin and Harsha Raj are also accused in murder cases.
The police commissioner said that strict action would be taken against those who might have helped Sharan escape the law till now or helped him in committing the crimes.
The arrest operation was conducted on the directions of police commissioner R Hitendra, under the guidance of DCP (law and order) Dr K V Jagadish and DCP (crime) Vishnuvardhan, led by CCB inspector Valentine D'Souza, ASI Shyamsunder, police personnel Shashidhar Shetty, Ganesh M P, Ganesh Kalladka, Venugopal, Chandrashekar, Dinesh Bekal, Abdul Jabbar, Rajendraprasad, Mani M N, Sudhir Shetty and driver Tejakumar.