MYSORE: Police have arrested 18 people for the attack on Rashmi V, regional commissioner and director-general of the Administrative Training Institute, here.
On Wednesday, Rashmi had alleged the police just made a token appearance at the institute, despite her being in touch with Police Commissioner M A Saleem since morning.
Most of those arrested turned out to be contract employees of a catering and housekeeping agency, and not relatives of Venkatesh, the mess manager found dead in a sump on Wednesday morning, as suspected.
It had been suggested earlier that Venkatesh’s relatives had slippered Rashmi because they were upset by his death.
In fact, the assailants had lost their jobs after Rashmi terminated a contract with Bharani Hospitality Services, charging her predecessor Amita Prasad with corruption.
Meanwhile, Saleem suspended Sub-inspector K S Narendra Babu and issued a memo to Inspector Poovaiah of the Nazarbad police station.
A source said Babu, whose suspension was announced on Thursday morning, had worked all night to make the arrests in and around Mysore, following the filing of two complaints by Rashmi and her gunman Ganesh.
Those arrested are Raju (45), Santhosh (21), Devaraj (44), Venkatesh (30), Swamy (27), Ramanujulu (38), Shivanna (42), Premkumar (26), Manjunath (26), Ganesh (23), Narayana (42), Shivarudra (44), Yashavanth (27), Bhaira (27), Mahadeva (26), Chikka Eregowda (42), Mahesh (26) and Shekar (25). Police have also taken Chandru (43), an eyewitness, into custody.
They were allegedly drunk, and have been booked for assault and attempt to murder. All 18 were produced before a court and sent to judicial custody.
The footage recorded by the police enabled them to identify and arrest the assailants. Five more are yet to be arrested.
Saleem said he had acted against Babu and Poovaiah for their failure to anticipate the tension after the death of Venkatesh, and take precautionary measures.