Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Nov 6: In the backdrop of recent murders inside the district prison here and also recovery of knives and cellphones, 16 inmates of this jail were shifted to five different jails of the state on Thursday November 5.

Those who have been shunted out of the prison now are under-trials, who have been accused of involvement with some serious cases. They were transferred to jails at Mysuru, Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Ballari, and Belagavi.

The prisons department and police department have, in the meanwhile, launched parallel investigations into the incidents. The investigation by the prisons department is headed by inspector general of police, A V Ananth Reddy, while the criminality issues are being looked by a team led by city police deputy commissioner.

It was evident that the murders were pre-planned, and advance preparations had been made before executing them. As there is strong suspicion about the role of outside forces in the incidents, investigators have also been looking into this angle. The other aspects that are being investigated are lacunae and failure in the jail system. Already cases have been registered against nine under-trials relating to the murders.

The investigators would be trying to find out how the arms used for the murders were smuggled into the jail and who were involved with this act. While 40 injury marks inflicted by knives were found on the body of Madoor Isubu, it is almost certain that Ganesh Shetty was killed as an act of revenge for the murder of Madoor Isubu by his cronies. It is said that associates of Isubu were enraged at the killing of their leader, and therefore, dragged out Ganesh Shetty lodged in the adjacent cell, and hit him with tiles and pieces of reepers supporting old jail's roofs till he lost his life.

During the search operation launched inside the prison by the city police with the help of jail staff on November 4, knives, cellphones, cutting pliers, electric heater, iron box and other items had been recovered.