Daijiworld Media Network - Bagalkot (SP)
Bagalkot, Jan 12: The policemen have arrested nine persons, accused of triggering blasts at a Hubli court, concealing of powerful bombs below the Venkatapur village bridge and committing of several murders apart from hatching conspiracies to murder several leaders. The gang's activities, particularly the setting off the bombs, had shaken the entire state.
The policemen, during the investigations into the murder of local businessman Kiran Kumatagi on October 29, 2008, came to know about the activities of this gang. The policemen have confiscated Rs 11.08 lac in cash, gold and silver, motor bicycle, lethal weapons, gun powder and live bombs from the arrested persons. Nagaraj Jambagi, a 24-year old resident of Beelagi Cross village is accused of masterminding these destructive activities. With the arrest of the accused, many cases that occurred in Belgaum, Bijapur, Hubli, Dharwad and Bagalkot have been solved, the policemen claim.
Speaking at a press conference here on Sunday January 11, north range inspector general of police Raghavendra Auradkar said, that a gang of eight persons who wanted to rule the underworld through activities like murder and robbery, committed several heinous crimes in this part of the state.
When Gokak sub-inspector of police Tulasigeri tried to arrest Nagaraj Jambagi after nabbing some of his gang members, enraged Jambagi planned to eliminate police officers. For executing this plan, he got bombs from Hanumant Arjun Sainasakali and Channabasappa Revanasiddappa Hunasagi from Hirerugi village of Indi taluk in Bijapur district in March, 2008. The gang also conducted practice sessions of using live bombs in the forest area of Kadampur range in Bagalkot district, he explained. The gang exploded bombs in Hubli court during the year 2008 for eliminating police officials and members of his opponent gang, Auradkar claimed.
Frustrated over the fact that its bombs failed in getting the targetted result, the gang hid powerful bombs beneath the Venkatapur Bridge on national highway 4 for setting them off when dignitaries pass through the bridge, Auradkar said. However, due to incessant rains in the region, the bombs got washed away in the flood water, averting a tragedy, he added. The gang had killed a man named Lakshman Bandivaddar, he informed.
Other arrested persons have been identified as Ramesh Pawar (24), Basavaraj Diggi (22), Manjunath Binjawadagi (19), Deepak Govindkar (28), Lingaraj Jalagar (24), Basavaraj Rugi (20), Hanamanta Sainasakali (22) and Channabasappa Hunasagi (35).
The gang had prepared a hit list of prominent political, police and other personalities. It had tried to kill ex-minister Satish Jarkhiholi from near Lakshmi temple in Gokak. Jambagi had also conspired to murder MLA Ramesh Jarkhiholi. It is said, that he nurtured an irresistible desire to amass extortion money through phone calls and become a don unto himself. The police, after sifting through over five lac phone calls by using a special software, zeroed in on Lingaraj Jalagar, who was arrested on December 30, 2008. They then succeeded in collecting full details of the gang’s activities from him.