BENGALURU: While the tech-savvy Bengaluru city police boast of cracking several complicated crimes, their track record in nabbing those involved in shooting is disappointing. Saturday’s incident where miscreants shot businessman Kanhaiyalal Agarwal (54) has thrown another challenge before them.
The probes in several similar cases in the past have hit a dead end, leaving the city police under a cloud. In 1998, Ramesh, a senior executive with the then JTM mobile phone services, was shot dead in front of his house in Indiranagar. Three decades have passed and the case remains unsolved, raising questions about the efficiency of the police.
The then Bengaluru City police Commissioner L Revanasiddaiah (1997 to 1999) said, “I thought the murder case of Ramesh might have been solved! But still it is a good case to probe in a scientific way. I believe that if the investigating officers have will power and professional efficiency, any complicated case can be solved, even after years. The investigation officer along with his team has to track the case to nab the assailants who usually flee the country after a shooting. The department and senior officers must encourage their team to chase the accused even if it is to another country and nab him/her”.
Gopal B Hosur, a retired Inspector-General of Police, said that it is quite challenging for the police to nab assailants in such cases as the accused belong to other states, and it is not easy to track their networks and their operations. The police should be working closely with other police departments of other states, to track the movements of such gangs that usually come from Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
A senior police officer with the Central Crime Branch said, “The contract killers know how to escape from the city easily, after committing the crime. As cities have a large population from different parts of the world, it becomes difficult to identity suspects who may be living here but flee after committing the crime.”
Cases stuck in police’s ‘In’ folder
On May 21, 2018
A 61-year-old businessman was shot at in broad daylight by a gang of unidentified assailants on Asiya Road in Pulakeshinagar. Police suspected personal rivalry as the reason and involvement of a local gang in the attack on Masood Ali, a resident of Pulikeshinagar, who runs a furniture business. He was discharged from hospital after a week and so far police have made no headway in probe.
February 3, 2017
In broadday light, two men on a bike shot at
K Srinivas Murthy alias Kadabagere Seena at Kogilu cross on the way to Kempegowda International Airport. Seena was travelling in his official car when attackers fired six rounds, and two hit Seena who was discharged from a private hospital after four weeks of treatment. Seena was president of Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) and political rivalry is said to have triggered
the attack.
October 30, 2016
A 51-year-old businessman Parachuri Surendra Kumar was shot dead in front his residence in Sanjaynagar. Two assailants on a bike fired six rounds at him before fleeing the scene, taking advantage of Diwali cracker bursts that drowned the noise of gunfire. Parachuri was a realtor who also ran a security agency and a charitable trust. He was shot at from close range as he was getting down from his Maruti Eeco Special teams were sent to Uttar Pradesh to nab the suspects but, after two years, the case hit a dead end.
1998
Ramesh, a senior executive of the then JTM mobile phone services, was shot dead in front of his house. Though police teams had been to various places including Mumbai, Hyderabad and Mangaluru to investigate the case, they returned empty handed.