Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)
Mangaluru, Apr 27: The police on Wednesday April 27 arrested one accused in connection to the attack on Ibrahim Nafsan in Ullal on April 25.
Ibrahim Nafsan (26) was attacked by a group of five early morning on April 25 when he was on the way to the fishing dock in Mangaluru. The same night, three others were also attacked.
Addressing a press meet at his office here, police commissioner Chandra Sekhar said that the accused arrested is Shivaraj alias Shiva (19) of Kumpala, an electrician by profession.
He also said that there are suspicions about his involvement in the second attack in Ullal the same night, on Nizam, Safwan and Saleem, by a group of five.
"There are four to five more accused in the case and we will arrest them soon," he added.
"A special investigation team led by ACP Kalyan Shetty, CCB inspector Valentine D'Souza, and inspectors of Konaje and Panambur police stations has been formed to investigate the attacks. We have called ten suspects for questioning already. From 6 pm on April 26 to 6 am on April 27, we imposed Section 144 in Ullal," he added.
Asserting that no culprits would be spared, he said, "We will not spare anyone who attacks innocents and will take stringent action against those who commit crime and those who support it. In this case all four victims were innocents and so also Raju Kotian who was recently murdered. We should not look at it as communal, it is purely an attack on innocents."
He also informed that 600 cops including officers and 10 platoons of KSRP have been deployed in Ullal for security.
Asked whether these attacks were revenge for Raju Kotian's murder, he said, "May be, but it is too early to assert. The accused Shiva is 19 and works in an electronic shop. Anyone involving in attacks on innocents will be strictly dealt with."
He also said that the third incident of attack on April 26 evening on fruit vendor Safwan was a separate incident and not connected to the earlier attacks or to Raju Kotian murder. "We are investigating the case," he added.
On the reason for increase in crimes in Ullal, he said communalism has been a problem in Ullal.
On why a full-time inspector has not been appointed to Ullal police station despite the area being sensitive, he said, "I am not the competent to answer that. A proposal has been sent to the government to fill all the vacant posts in the police stations in Mangaluru commissionerate limits so as to strengthen the police force.
"We have 38 personnel of the state industrial police force for assistance and another 220 have been sanctioned. Altogether, there are 800 vacancies," he said.
On the progress in the murder case of RTI activist Vinayak Baliga, he said, "One of the suspects Naresh Shenoy has applied for anticipatory bail and we have opposed it. The next hearing is on April 29. We are looking for Shenoy and another suspect Srikanth.
He also informed that 35 ganja addicts had been identified in Ullal police limits and sent to rehabilitation centres.