Karnataka Police nab six associates of Bannanje Raja

Hubli: Six associates of notorious underworld don Bannanje Raja were recently arrested for plotting to kill a Shimoga-based areca nut merchant for non-payment of extortion money. The arrested have been identified as Izaz Patel, Vilas Rathod, Abbas Ali Sheikh and Hussain Sheikh, all hailing from Bijapur, Hajrath Ali Momin from Hubli and Sangamesh Nashi, the car driver.

Hubli-Dharwad Police Commissioner Ravindra Prasad said the culprits were arrested at Varur near here and they had hatched conspiracy to kill businessman Omkarappa Halagappa, a native of Gandhi Nagar in Shimoga, for not paying Rs 50 lakh as demanded by the don. Police said five of those arrested were sharp-shooters and they had recovered three pistols and 18 bullets, allegedly bought from Madhya Pradesh, from them.

The police said those arrested were earlier involved in several other cases, including a series of murders in Bijapur’s Indi taluk, and recently got released on bail. They were in constant touch with Bannanje Raja, who had given them contract to kill the merchant.

Omkarappa had on June 1 lodged a complaint at Vinoba Nagar police station in Shimoga stating that gangster Bannanje Raja had threatened to kill him. The Shimoga police had arrested two persons in this connection and they had revealed about the murder plan and the possible involvement of the underworld don’s associates. Based on the information provided by Shimoga police, Hubli-Dharwad police had formed a team to nab the culprits.