Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, May 12: The issue of alleged friendship assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Venkateshi Prasanna, had with underworld fugitive, Ravi Poojary, is getting murkier by the day. It was said that the said ACP had taken part in a party arranged by Kali Yogesh, a notorious criminal and henchman of Ravi Poojary, at Dubai. Now, the central crime branch (CCB) police have gathered evidence relating to this allegation.

The police who had succeeded in getting Ravi Poojay extradited from an African nation where he had settled down, had brought him here and subjected to intense questioning. During this period, it came to light that Poojary and CCB assistant commissioner of police Venkatesh Prasanna, were friends. The government had sought separate investigation into the allegation. A separate team of CCB which investigated the issue came to know certain things.

An officer said that Dinesh Shetty from Mangaluru, deemed to be an associate of Poojary, Vishwanath Koragu Shetty (email statement), and a head constable of city crime branch unit Mangaluru have recorded statements.

Ravi Poojary and Kali Yogesh, who used to pose threats to real estate businessmen and hoteliers, were in regular contact with the ACP. The ACP had travelled to Dubai without obtaining permission of the government. Vishwanath Shetty reportedly told the CCB police that he had met Rs 16 lac spent towards a party organized by Kali Yogesh in honour of the ACP during his Dubai visit. A head constable who was assisting the ACP and Dinesh Shetty, accused in murder of Rashid Mablbari's advocate Naushad, have also recorded statements about the said Dubai visit and friendship with ACP. Whenever call was received from Ravi Poojary gang by entrepreneurs, Prasanna used to take lead to settle the issue, it is said. Dinesh Shetty also claimed that Prasanna had advance information about the murder of advocate Naushad, and murder of BJP leaders but he did not do anything to stop them.

Prasanna had also got help from Bannanje Raja before he was arrested by the police in 2015. Vishwanath Shetty said that he had promised to see that Bannanje does not face any problem after his arrest. CCB sources said that investigation into these aspects is continuing.

Ravi Poojary has been handed over to judicial custody as the police have temporarily stopped investigation into 97 cases with which Ravi Poojary is involved, in view of coronavirus infection.