BENGALURU: Ricky Rai, son of former underworld don-turned-social activist late Muthappa Rai, survived a murder attempt in the early hours of Saturday after an unidentified assailant opened fire at his SUV outside his sprawling bungalow in Bidadi in Ramanagara district, near here.
The police have booked four persons, including Muthappa Rai’s second wife Anuradha. The shooting occur red around 12.50 am. Ricky, his driver Basavaraju and gunman Rajpal were heading to Bengaluru in a black SUV.
When the vehicle came out of the compound, the miscreant who was hiding behind the compound wall of another private property allegedly opened fire at the front door. Both Ricky and Basavaraju sustained injuries
Case against Muthappa’s second wife, aides
RickyCKY, who hurt his nose and right shoulder, was rushed to a private hospital in Bidadi and from there to Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru in an ambulance.
Ricky is undergoing treatment at the hospital’s ICU. Driver Basavaraju, who is said to have sustained minor injuries, filed a complaint at the Bidadi police station on Saturday morning. According to the complaint, two attempts were made on Ricky. Around 11 pm on Friday, when Ricky, the driver and gunman were going to Bengaluru, the accused is said to have opened the first round of firing. When the driver heard the gunshot, he got out of the vehicle to check. As he could not see anything, they went ahead with their plans. Again, the second attack took place around 12.50 am. Two bullets were recovered from near the farmhouse.
Ramanagara Superintendent of Police R Srinivas Gowda said that out of three people in the SUV, two sustained injuries, while one is being treated as an inpatient. “Prima facie, it appears that the miscreant has opened one round of fire,” Gowda added.
Insiders’ handiwork is suspected as the accused is said to have known exactly when Ricky was stepping out. Ricky is always surrounded by a team of bodyguards and he normally drives the car. But on Saturday, he gave the keys to the driver and sat in the backseat. As the SUV has black tinted glass, the accused could not take aim properly.
Assuming that Ricky was driving, he shot at the front door. It is suspected that the shooter aimed at the door window, but hit the door. It is not clear if Ricky and Basavaraju sustained injuries because of the bullet or because the driver swerved the vehicle.
Police filed a case against Muthappa Rai’s second wife Anuradha, his close aide Rakesh Malli, Nitesh Shetty of Nitesh Estates, Vaidyanathan and their associates for attempt to murder (BNS 109) and under the Arms Act. Four teams have been formed to probe various angles, including real estate deals, property disputes among family members, Muthappa Rai’s possible rivals and underworld involvement. Ricky Rai is married, and his second wife, a foreign national, and child reside abroad. He returned to India from Russia just two days ago.