Hassan
Shivamogga police have booked a case against 13 people and arrested six of them on the charge of hatching a conspiracy to murder a youth in the city. It was planned as a revenge killing for the murder of Hindutva activist Harsha in February, said the police, who chanced upon it during another investigation.
Doddapete police had arrested Vishwas alias Jaitley on April 13 in connection with another case. During the interrogation, he revealed the conspiracy and named his associates involved in the intended criminal act.
Acting on the information, the police registered a case against 13 people. They are Rakhi, Vishwas, Nitin, Yashwanth, Karthik, Akash, Praveen, Suhas, Sachin Rayakar, Sanket, Raghu, Manju, and Vishal. Later, six of the accused were arrested. The police also seized a car, two bikes, and lethal weapons from the accused.
The police are looking for seven people, who are absconding, said Shivamogga Superintendent of Police B.M. Laxmi Prasad. Sachin Rayakar, one of the accused who is absconding, is a member of the Harsha Charitable Trust. Harsha’s sister Ashwini is president of the trust, while K.E. Kanthesh, son of the former Minister K.S. Eshwarappa, is its managing trustee.
Reacting to the development, KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar said it was part of a conspiracy to create communal tension in Karnataka to “distract attention” from corruption charges against the ruling dispensation and the suicide of contractor Santosh K. Patil. He lauded the Shivamogga police for acting swiftly.
