NewsKarnataka-Mangalore

Mangalore : Police have arrested two more persons, both aides of underworld don Bannanje Raja in connection with the murder of BJP leader and businessman RN Naik of Ankola. With this, the total number of arrests in the case has risen to seven.  If one of the accused was shot dead, another was caught soon after the crime. Four others were arrested at Hebri in Udupi recently.

Informing this to reporters, Western Range IGP Pratap Reddy said the police have seized four pistols and a cash of Rs 2 lakh from the accused. He also informed that the assailants had fled to Shimoga, Bangalore, Varanasi and other places after committing the murder.

He also informed that Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA) will be invoked against all the arrested in the case. They will be charged under Section 3 of KCOCA apart from other sections of the Indian Arms Act and IPC.

The two arrested of late are  Rabdin of Tamil Nadu and Ismail of Palakkad. The four persons who were arrested in Hebri on January 11 are Achchangi Mahesh, Santhosh alias Sullia Santhu, Laxman Bhajantri alias Ganesh (29) from Karkala, Ambaji Bandgar alias Abhi (35) from Bangalore, Satish Patel alias Jagadish (21) from Uttar Pradesh. Satish Patel was arrested while he was fleeing soon after the murder, while another accused Akash alias Vivek Upadhyaya (27) from Varanasi was shot dead by RN Naik’s bodyguard.