Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jun 26: The fast track court, through a judgement, has acquitted nine persons charged with the murder of entrepreneur Rony alias Stany Rebello who was done to death within the jurisdiction of Brahmavar police station three years ago. The judgement was pronounced by Justice B Shivalinge Gowda.

Rony had been stabbed to death on June 18, 2005 at Tadengodlu of Hosur village. The prosecution had accused Gopi Poojarthi's brother Sadanand, K S Arun Brahmavar, Manju alias Manjunath Shetty Hebri and Anant Bangalore of having entered into a conspiracy to kill the murdered person. Gopi Poojarthi was named as the abettor of the crime, having hired the killers to eliminate Rony, with her brother Sadanand and K S Arun Brahmavar as eyewitnesses to the murder. Manju, Narasimha Murthi, G Santosh, L Bhaskar and Manjunath, all from Bangalore were charged with executing the murder plan.

The accused were charged with chasing Rony, who was travelling in his Tata Indica car in a Tata Sumo vehicle before stabbing him.

Case: Rony had been employed by Narasimha Markal, huband of Gopi Poojarthi, at Mumbai since a very young age. After Markal was murdered, Rony, who had come to know as a sharp shooter in Mumbai underworld by then, said to have shot almost 22 persons. Having been arrested by the Mumbai police, he had managed to clear all the charges against him. He later came back and resided in a house owned by Narasimha's father at Chagaribettu near Kokkarne. Gopi recruited Rony as manager in Keerti Lodge in Brahmavar, owned by her.

It is said, that Nandi Markal, father of Narasimha, wanted to transfer his house at Chagaribettu to Gopi but because Rony convinced him otherwise, he transferred the property to his wife. Sensing this, Gopi promptly dismissed Rony from the managership of Keerti Lodge. It is said, that Gopi paid Rs 5 lac to Gopal for murdering Rony. But, as he could not execute the murder, she hired five killers named above.

The court which examined 54 witnesses came to the conclusion that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges. Main accused Gopi Poojarthi has already been murdered, possibly as a revenge for the above murder, while returning to her home after obtaining bail in the case.