Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, May 22: Rafique (30) from Kalladka in the taluk has filed a murder attempt complaint in the town police station here. He has accused staff manning the tollgate at Brahmarakootlu here of getting into argument with him over payment of toll charges and then trying to kill him.

Rafique, who is involved with line sales, was moving towards Mangaluru from Kalladka in his car at around 12 pm on Saturday May 21, when five persons engaged in tollgate maintenance attacked him, it is said.

Rafique says that when he tried to move ahead after displaying the toll ticket he had procured the previous night from inside the car, one of the men at the gate hit his car with an iron rod, damaging it in the bargain. When he got down from the car and questioned the concerned, tollgate staff, identified as Santosh, Shiva, Kashinath, and two others attacked him with iron rod in an attempt to kill him, he explained in his complaint.

Having been injured in the attack seriously, Rafique was admitted into a private hospital at Thumbay by a person known to him. The town police, who have registered the case, have begun investigation.

SDPI Dakshina Kannada district president, Hanif Khan Kodaje, has demanded immediate arrest of all the five accused and initiation of legal action against them. He said that attack on road users has been happening at Brahmarakootlu tollgate repeatedly as persons with dubious background have been functioning here. He alleged that toll is being collected here even though national highway work has not been completed and service road has not been provided.