Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (EP)
Bantwal, Oct 31: As many as nine people have been arrested in Surendra Bantwal murder case. Surendra, a resident of Vasti Apartment, Bantwal Bhandaribettu, was hacked to death by miscreants on October 20. A case in this connection is registered in Bantwal police station.
Police have arrested Satish Kulal, Girish Kinnigoli, Akash Bhavav Sharan, Venkatesh Poojary, Pradeep, Sharif, Divyaraj, Rajesh and Anil Pumpwell, and produced them in the court.
T D Nagaraj, CPI, Bantwal circle is conducting investigation under guidance from SP B M Laxmiprasad and assistant DySP Valentine D’ Souza.
Five special teams are formed to nab the suspected killers consisting of PSIs Avinash H Gowda, Bantwal police station, Prasanna M S, Bantwal rural station, Sanjiva K, Bantwal rural police station, Nandakumar PSI, Belthangadi station, Vinod Reddy, PSI Vitla station, Rajesh K V, PSI Bantwal traffic police station, Kalaimar PSI Bantwal town police station, Kumar Kamble PSI Belthangadi traffic police station, Ravi B S PI, Cheluvaraj PI, technical department staff and expert police staff in the district.
The involvement of accused Sathish Kulal (39), resident of Bantwal is found during the investigation. The second accused is Girish (28), resident of Neerumarga, Bondantila village, Mangaluru. He is said to be close to Sathish Kulal. Sathish Kulal has confessed during questioning that Pradeep Kumar, alias Pappu, Sharif alias Sayyad Sharif, Venkappa Poojary alias Venkatesh and Sharan who is in central prison Bengaluru had hatched a conspiracy to the murder and asked to kill Surendra.
The accused were arrested and questioned. Pradeep Kumar alias Pappu was the friend of deceased Surendra Bantwal and had borrowed a loan from Surendra for jewellery business. Rs seven lacs out of the loan are still to be repaid. The murder occurred over dispute of repayment.
Pappu had paid Rs two lac to Sharan through an acquaintance to kill Surendra. The acquaintance is yet to be arrested.
Accused Venkappa Poojary alias Venkatesh also had borrowed money from Surendra. A small amount of the loan is still pending to be repaid. Venkappa Poojary had paid Rs 90,000 to Sathish Kulal in advance to commit the murder.
Accused Sharif alias Sayyad Sharif had personal enmity with late Surendra Bantwal. Therefore, he had helped in the murder.
Akashbhavan Sharan who is in Bengaluru jail was questioned after obtaining his police custody. He had personal enmity with Surendra. Therefore, he joined other men accused in the murder inciting Girish that Surendra is being killed to avenge the murder of Kishan Hegde. He had arranged a vehicle and place to go into hiding through Divyaraj and Anil Pumpwell.
He had arranged accommodation in Ujire and the vicinity for the accused through Rajesh, resident of Belthangadi. Rs 50,000 cash and mobile phone of the accused is in his custody. He had given his Omni vehicle for the accused to flee. All of them are arrested. Divyaraj is a resident of Pumpwell and an accused of murder of Ashraf Kalai in Benjanapadavu in 2017. He is also close to Kishan Hegde.
Nearly 20 cases are pending against Sharan alias Akashvani Sharan. Those are two in Mangaluru south, one in Barke, one in Kavoor and one in Sullia. All these five are murder cases. He was arrested in sexual assault case in Manipal police station limits and is in Bengaluru prison since the last two years.
The investigation are progressing in a systematic manner so far. The murder appears to have been committed for financial disputes and personal enmity. The arrested accused men are in police custody for additional investigations. Special police squad is trying to nab the remaining accused.