3 held for murder bid in Mangaluru

MANGALURU: City Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths on Monday arrested three persons in connection with a murder attempt on Lancy D'Souza, a resident of Pandit House on September 10.The accused are Choni alias Keshava Poojary from Rakteshwari Nagar and Prasad alias Pachchu from Mogaveerpatna, and Rakshit alias DK from Kapikad. The trio had attacked Lancy, a welder, because of old rivalry.
Police commissioner S Murugan said that investigations so far have revealed that the trio bore a grudge against Lancy, who was an accused in the murder of an autorickshaw driver last year. The accused, sitting astride a car, rammed into Lancy's motorcycle near Chembugudde. As soon as Lancy fell on the ground, the accused assaulted him with lethal weapons and fled the scene.
Police recovered machetes and sickles from the crime scene. Lancy, who was immediately rushed to a nearby private hospital, is recuperating. Lancy was accused in the murder of Yatish Poojary, an autorickshaw driver on August 15, 2014. Lancy and his accomplice had stabbed Yatish, while he was coming out of a bar. He was released on bail a few months ago. The accused wer e biding their time to avenge the murder of Yatish and also curtail his growing influence in the area.
Murugan said that police will also reconsider invoking provisions of the Goonda Act against Choni again. Admitting that the previous attempt by the city police to do so in 2013 had not passed the scrutiny of the law, Murugan said given the fact that Choni is a habitual offender, police will restart the process to get him detained under the Act. DCPs H Shantharaju and Sanjeev M Patil were present.
With reference to the ongoing Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations and upcoming Bakrid on Friday, Murugan said police has taken necessary steps to keep a strict tab on rowdy sheeters and other trouble makers. "We have initiated security proceedings against 120 such persons," he said, adding peace meetings have been held in all police station limits.