Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Dec 10: The shooting incident at a business establishment in the city on Friday night reminds one of the shootout at Bharathi Builders and Developers office at Bejai New Road in the city on March 2014. The shooting, presumably undertaken to threaten the concerned to cough up protection money, has happened after a gap of three and half years.
In the meanwhile, notorious fugitive, Kali Yogeesh, called a private news channel to say that he was responsible for the said incident and that such attacks will be undertaken in future too. The caller, who identified himself as Yogeesh, claimed that since the last two years, he had repeatedly placed demand with the owner of Sanjeeva Shetty Textiles at car street for payment of Rs 2 crore from him. He said he had to arrange for shootout as the businessman continued to ignore his warnings. He said that similar threat had been posed by him to Rajashree Jewellers, Kinnigoli.
An unidentified person had flashed his revolver at B D Ramachandra Acharya, owner of Rajashree Jewellers on Kinnigoli main road, at 7.30 pm on Thursday before fleeing. A complaint in this connection was lodged in Mulky police station on Saturay. In the complaint, Acharya said in his complaint that there was an incoming call on Friday morning in the cellphone belonging to his son. He informed the police on Friday night about the inident. Mulky stationlhouse officer, Anantapadmnabha, collected all information and conveyed details to his higher officers. Assistant commissioner of police, Rajendra, deputy commissioner of police, Hanumantharaya and other police personnel visited the spot and verified footage of two CCTV cameras in front of the shop. It is learnt that these cameras have been capturing only things happening close by and the identity of the man who showed his revolver could not be identified. Several CCTV cameras fitted on bus stand main road at Kinnigoli with the support of local banks and other businesses at Kinnigoly have become defunct, it is gathered.
On the basis of the telephonic call received, the police have taken into custody Ganesh, brother of Kali Yogeesh, and his friend, identified as Reetu, into custody for questioning. The police are yet to confirm whether Kali Yogeesh was actually behind this incident and whether the above was a fake call. In the earlier shootout incidents, accomplices of notorious criminals, Bannaje Raja and Vicky Shetty had been arrested.
The police believe that the criminal elements have begun to target other businessmen as the inflow from real estate sector has dried up as the builders are going through a lean patch now. They need money to run the gangs they have built over the years.