Udupi: The District Police have arrested Ankith Kumpala (24) in connection with the stone pelting case on a mosque in Adi-Udupi, the murder of an auto rickshaw driver Muhammed Hanif and deadly assault on another auto rickshaw driver Mohammed Shabbir, said Vishuvardhan, Additional Superintendent of Police, Udupi district on February 2.
Addressing a press meet at Udupi district SP’s Office, ASP Vishuvardhan said that within three days after the crimes, under the leadership of Udupi Police split into teams of five, Ankit Kumpala, son of Jagadish Poojary, Ashraya Colony, Murukatte, Kumpala, Kotekar Post, Mangaluru, was arrested. Ankit was living with his sister in their rented house at Kodankuru and was working as an assistant at his brother-in-law’s shop dealing in interiors.
ASP said that the accused is involved in several cases in Mangaluru district. On the night of January 28, he pelted stones at the mosque at Adi Udupi damaging the window panes.
Later, while riding along NH 66 near Hotel Sharada International, Ankit got into an altercation with Muhammed Hanif under the pretext that the latter was driving on wrong side of the road. Accused Ankit did this intentionally since he knew that Hanif was a Muslim. He later took out his knife and stabbed Hanif. Then another auto driver Mohammed Shabbir who came to the rescue of Hanif was also assaulted and stabbed by Ankit.
ASP said that however, Mohammed Shabbir was recovering with the injury. Ankit was arrested on February 1 and produced on the same day before the court. He has been taken into police custody for further investigation. During the interrogation Ankit Kumpala confessed to being involved in both the incidents.
When asked about the role of the accused in any Hindu Vedike, ASP said that there was no information like that and alllegience, if any would come to light during further investigations with the accused Ankit.
The team comprised of K T Balakrishna, District Superintendent of Police, Vishuvardhan, Additional Superintendent of Police, Kumaraswamy DySP, Udupi City Circle Police Inspector Naveenchandra Jogi, Manipal Circle Police Inspector Sudarshan, Crime Branch Police Inspector Sampath Kumar, Brahmavar Circle Inspector K Srikanth, Udupi Town Police Station PSI Ananthapadbhanabha, Brahmavar Police Station PSI Madhu T S, Traffic Police Station PSI Venkatesh, ASI Rosario D’Souza, head constables Umesh, Ravichandra, Raghavendra, Chandra Shetty, Santhosh Kunder, Shivanand and Nithin, constables Imran, Ramu Hegde, Praveen, Raj Kumar, Dayanand Prabhu, Shivanand, drivers Suresh and Mahabaleshwar.
