KALABURAGI: Police from Kalaburagi, Bengaluru and Maharashtra went on a strange goose chase. However, there was a twist in the tale. Read on to find out what happened.
The cops had gone to arrest an interstate thief who drove away with the service revolver of Afzalpur PSI on Monday. Police came to know that the accused Khajappa was seen on a tree near Ballurgi village at 8.00 AM. He was threatening to shoot himself if anybody came near him.
Kalaburagi SP Isha Pant told reporters that as many as 28 theft cases were registered against the accused in different police stations in Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra.
The Bengaluru police, who were searching for the accused in connection with a theft case, had earlier informed his whereabouts to Kalaburagi district police as Khajappa is a native of Ballurgi of Afzalpur taluk. The Akkalkot police of Maharashtra informed the Bengaluru police.
On the basis of the information from Akkalkot police of Maharashtra that Khajappa might go to his native Ballurgi on Sunday or Monday (16th or 17th July), Kalaburagi police had informed the Bengaluru police who then sent a team to Kalaburagi on Sunday. The Bengaluru police team led by Afzalpur PSI Bhimaraya Bankalagi stood in wait near Sonna Cross for the accused.
Khajappa who arrived in a car along with his associates Ravi and Sanju on Monday at about 3.00 AM saw the police waiting for him near Sonna Cross and tried to take a U-turn to escape. The police foiled his bid by surrounding the car. PSI Bhimaraya tried to break the window of the car using his service revolver. The glass of the window broke and the service revolver also fell inside the car. Khajappa and his associates then escaped in the car.
Meanwhile, the police got information that Khajappa was seen on a tree around 8.00 AM. near Ballurgi village which is his native. Police force led by Kalaburagi SP Isha Pant with more than 50 police personnel and a fire fighting force rushed to the spot.
Khajappa threatened the police and other people that if anybody came near him, he would open the trigger and would shoot himself dead.
The police then brought the nearest relatives of Khajappa and made them pursue him. But Khajappa continued to remain atop the tree till 1.00 PM after which he came down and surrendered to the police. His associates Ravi and Sanju, who were also hiding, surrendered to the police before Khajappa's surrender.