By Express News Service
BENGALURU: ‘Hai Bangalore’ editor Ravi Belagere, arrested by the police on charges of giving a supari contract to kill his former colleague Suneel Heggaravalli, was on Monday remanded to judicial custody till December 23. He has been arrested under the Arms Act.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police produced him before the 1st Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Court as his four-day police custody ended on Monday.
He was taken to Parappana Agrahara jail and was given a cell located in the hospital building inside the prison premises, as he needs treatment for his blood sugar level. An attender has been provided to him, considering his poor health. He is sharing the room along with two other inmates. The jail officials have designated him as ‘inmate number 12785’ and provided him with a jail uniform.
After the court pronounced the order, Belagere reportedly cried for a while. When the police took him to prison, he requested the jail staff to allot him a VIP cell. But the jail staff refused.
Belagere, after medical examination at Victoria Hospital, was produced before the court, which ordered his 14-day judicial custody. However, advocates representing Belagere have not submitted a request for bail.
Sources said the lawyer has decided to submit a request to the sessions court to seek bail on Wednesday. They are preparing the documents for the same.
Belagere’s lawyer Diwakar told reporters, “We will appeal to the sessions court to grant bail in a couple of days and since Belagere underwent a few surgeries over three years he needs proper treatment at a private hospital. We have submitted all the medical reports to the magistrate to seek bail.”
The lawyer has requested the judge for proper treatment in judicial custody as Belagere is suffering from severe health issues. Up to 60 pages carrying his medical details were produced before the judge.
On Friday, Belagere was arrested from his office-cum-residence by the CCB and the police had seized weapons from his chamber.
Probe trail
- December 3
- During the Gauri Lankesh murder probe, Tahir Hussain is nabbed by CCB police, based on a tip-off by Special Investigation Team (SIT). He is nabbed while trying to sell a gun in Prappana Agrahara police station limits. He reveals the name of Shashidhar Mundewadi, who had borrowed a weapon from him.
- December 7
- CCB personnel pick up Mundewadi for interrogation. He reveals Belagere’s supari contract and his visit to Hai Bangalore editor’s office where he collected a gun and
- Rs15,000 as advance (to kill Heggaravalli) on August 28.
- December 8
- A team of CCB officials surround ‘Hai Bangalore’ office and residence at KR Road to nab Belagere. After securing him, they seize weapons and live cartridges.
- December 9
- CCB police record Suneel Heggaravalli’s statement and a team obtains CCTV footage installed in front of his Hegganahalli house.
- December 10
- Heggaravalli alleges that he received a call from Belagere who used a phone belonging to Madhu and questioned him over the issue while in police custody.
- December 11
- Belagere is produced before a magistrate court, which orders his judicial custody for 14 days.
