Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, May 21: The policemen led by Dakshina Kannada district crime intelligence bureau inspector H N Venkatesh Prasanna, raided a house in Padil Karmar in the city and recovered a rifle that had gone missing from the city's rural police station, 17 years ago.

The rifle was found in the house of Harish Poojary(36), who has been arrested. The policemen had conducted the raid on Wednesday May 20, after they got information that there was an unlicenced gun in Poojary's house. Upon verification, it was found that the gun was Lee and Field short magazine number 4, mark 2, .303 rifles, specifications of which match exactly with the missing rifle.

After the rifle went missing from the rural police station here on July 6, 1992, departmental proceedings had been initiated against centry Dharnappa, assistant sub inspector Derappa who was the in-charge station house officer then and constable Devu Shetty. As a criminal case was also registered against Dharnappa Gowda, he went through mental agony and died later.

Upon questioning, Harish said he got the rifle from a well about 12 years ago.