Daijiworld Media Network – Mysore (SP)

Mysore, Mar 11: On Thursday March 10, an inmate of the central jail here fired six bullets with a country-made pistol at another prisoner. One of the bullets entered the victim’s left arm, and the same was removed through a surgery undertaken immediately thereafter in a hospital. The prisoner is out of danger now.

Balaji Rao alias Tibet rained bullets on notorious rowdy, Bettanagere Srinivas alias Seena, who is an under-trial here, at around 3.10 pm, all of a sudden. The jail staff rushed Seena to K R Hospital, where he was treated. Reportedly, Bettanagere Shankara had hired Balaji to eliminate his relative cum friend-turned foe, Seena, and that the contract was finalized through a person named Prem from Vidyaranyapuram here. The policemen are baffled how the pistol entered the high security jail premises. It is said that it was delivered to Rao through a visitor about three weeks back, and that bullets were handed over on behalf of Prem on Thursday afternoon. There are also rumours that jail officials had clandestinely helped the concerned to smuggle the pistol and ammunition.

Bettanagere Srinivas and Shankar had been jailed in connection with the murder of Balekai Basavaiah in 2005. While Shankar came out of the jail and got busy with finance business, he did not make any effort to get Seena released. This had given rise to animosity between the two, it is said. The followers of these two rivals fought often, and efforts were earlier made in Gulbarga and Bellary jails to eliminate him, Seena said. Because of these developments, Seena had requested and got transfer to Mysore jail a month back.