BENGALURU: Bharath took advantage of the situation and, although handcuffed, managed to jump off the vehicle before the dazed policemen could react. He made a dash towards his associates who freed him before handing him a pistol and escaping with him in two vehicles. Mahalakshmi Layout Police Sub-Inspector Venkataramanappa, who was also part of the convoy, opened fire at the fleeing men, but they managed to escape.
The sub-inspector then alerted senior police officers and the police control room about Bharath’s escape. Four special teams were immediately formed and a manhunt was launched to pin down the rowdy.Around 4.30 am, the special teams received information on the wireless network that Bharath’s car was spotted moving towards Hessaraghatta poultry farm near Soladevanahalli. The teams converged on the location, spotted the car with him and four of his associates, and surrounded it without their knowledge. Four other associates, who were in another car, managed to escape as they noticed the police movement.
When Bharath realised what was happening, he opened fire at the police. He fired thrice, with two bullets hitting a police jeep and one striking Rajagopalanagar Police Inspector Dinesh Patil in his abdomen. However, as Patil was wearing a bulletproof jacket, he survived without any injury.Assuming that he had got Patil, Bharath then turned on Nandini Layout Police Inspector Lohith B N, who drew quicker than Bharath, firing two shots into the rowdy’s chest. Two other policemen sustained minor injuries in the exchange of fire. The wounded Bharath was rushed to Sapthagiri Hospital in Hessaraghatta around 5 am, where doctors declared him brought dead.
After the Central Crime Branch (CCB) and North division police nabbed Bharath in Moradabad on Sunday, a few of his associates had attacked the police there too. A case was filed with the Moradabad police against the attackers and Bharath was brought to Bengaluru.On January 30, in yet another filmy style chase, Bharath and his associates had rammed their vehicle into a police vehicle in Banashankari and tried to attack the cops with weapons before escaping.
Bharath, a native of Tamil Nadu, was wanted in a number of criminal cases, including murder, in Ramanagara, Tumakuru, Kolar, Chikkaballapur districts and Bengaluru city. He was the prime accused in the murder of history-sheeter Srinivas alias Kulla Seena in 2006. Police had formed three teams to track his movements in Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. Initial interrogation had revealed that Bharath had a big network, including some local politicians and police officials, who would tip him off about search operations. He was involved in about 50 criminal cases, including four murders and several attempts to murder and attacks on policemen.