UP cop killed by saffron extremists was investigation officer in Akhlaq lynching case

Mangaluru, Feb 25: Notorious gangster Ravi Poojary,

who has been extradited to India from Senegal, has 34 cases registered against him within the city police commissionerate.

Now in Bengaluru police custody for interrogation in connection with several cases there, Poojary faces cases relating to murder, murder attempt, extortion and threat calls in the city, police sources said.

Sources said the city police are trying to get Pujari for interrogation though it would take a while as the court has allowed Bengaluru police to keep him in custody for questioning and evidence taking for 15 days.

Most of the cases in the city against him, 28 of them, are in connection with threat calls.

He had allegedly made threat calls in 2015 to the then state ministers B Ramanath Rai and Abhayachandra Jain, demanding immediate arrest of the accused in the murder of Bajrang Dal worker Prashanth Poojary.

All the cases against Poojary in the city were registered between 2007 and 2018.

Cases involving murder, death threats and shootouts are among the cases to be investigated, the sources said.

A total of 28 cases of death threat calls, one of murder, three of shootouts, one of abduction and a case of funding his associates lodged in prison are the crimes being probed by the city police.

The cases are now pending in courts at different stages of trial.

Cases of making threat calls to businessmen using his associates demanding protection money have been registered at Moodbidri, Kavoor, Kadri, Konaje, Barke and Urwa police stations.

Some of his associates were imprisoned in 2012 in connection with threat calls to a businessman from Kinnigoli.

The case relating to providing them money while in prison was also registered in the same year.

Pujari, wanted in many cases including extortion and murder in different parts of the country, including Karnataka and who had been on the run for over 15 years, was deported to Senegal following his arrest and later extradited

He had jumped bail in Senegal last year after being arrested there.

Bengaluru, Jan 17: Chief minister BS Yediyurappa is likely to induct new ministers into his cabinet only after he returns from Davos, Switzerland, on January 25.

Yediyurappa will leave for Davos on January 19 to participate in the World Economic Forum’s 50th annual meet.

Sources say Yediyurappa is keen on expanding his cabinet before he leaves for Davos and is still trying to secure the green signal from BJP national president Amit Shah. However, Shah has cold-shouldered Yediyurappa’s several requests for a meeting to discuss the issue.

Shah is scheduled to visit Karnataka on January 18 to participate in a pro-Citizenship (Amendment) Act rally in Hubballi and the CM plans to corner him there. But, given the time constraint, Yediyurappa is likely to put off the exercise till he returns from Davos even if Shah extends approval.

“Even if Shah gives the green signal, Yediyurappa will have less than 24 hours to expand his cabinet,” a source said. “It is highly unlikely he will rush through the process of inducting ministers. Also, his presence is required to douse disgruntlement which is bound to arise once the new ministers are sworn in.”

The CM and the party high command are on different pages as far as cabinet expansion is concerned. While Yediyurappa is hell-bent on keeping his promise of inducting all the newly elected MLAs, who switched from Congress and JD(S) to the BJP, Shah is keen on sharing vacant berths equally between loyal MLAs and the new entrants. There are 16 cabinet berths vacant.

Shah, sources said, is of the opinion that giving 12 berths to the turncoats will lead to heartburn among loyalists and it will impact the party’s prospects in the next election. “Moreover, he is of the opinion that none of the turncoats have mass appeal, nor do they have any administrative experience. This, he thinks, will impact governance,” said a source.

This has resulted in a deadlock and the issue has dragged on for a month now.

Mangalore, Jan 12: Thieves reportedly stole around 70,000 cash from a MESCOM ATP machine located at Chembugudde in Thokkottu, Police said here on Sunday.

Police said that the theft took place in the MESCOM sub-division office at Chembugudde. It was said that the thieves broke open the room where the MESCOM customers bill payment machine was located and stole 70,000 rupees cash from the ATP machine.

This machine had nine lakh rupees cash. The amount was reported to have been transferred at around 1500 hrs on Saturday.