KALABURAGI: Circle Police Inspector of Kalaburagi (Rural) Srimant Illala, who sustained serious injuries after he was attacked by members of a ganja mafia on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border late on Friday night, was airlifted to Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru on Monday morning.
The air ambulance arrived at the Kalaburagi airport on Sunday evening. As per plan, doctors attending on Illala checked his health again on Monday morning before okaying his airlifting. An ambulance carried Illala to the airport at 9.30 am and zero traffic on the stretch was ensured.
Kalaburagi MP Dr Umesh Jadhav and Kalaburagi (Rural) MLA Basavaraj Mattimudu were present at the airport. Three doctors, wife of the police officer and son also went in the air ambulance to Bengaluru, where Illala was admitted to Manipal Hospital around noon. On Friday evening, Illala had led a team of 10 policemen to Tururi-Honnali village to arrest those illegally growing and selling ganja.
While they were searching for the accused, 40-50 miscreants attacked Illala with clubs taking advantage of the dark and escaped. Illala, who sustained injuries on the face, chest and stomach, fell unconscious. He was brought to Kalaburagi and was admitted at United Hospital on Saturday morning. Though Home Minister Araga Jnanendra and DGP Praveen Sood had passed instructions to airlift the officer, doctors advised against it as Illala’s blood pressure was fluctuating.