Main conspirator in SDPI worker murder arrested

MANGALURU: The

Dakshina Kannada Police

have arrested the mastermind behind the murder of

SDPI worker

Mohammed Ashraf Kalayi, here on Sunday, taking the total number of arrests in this case to seven.

Confirming arrest of prime accused Bharat Kumdelu, 30, a resident of Bantwal, C H Sudhir Kumar Reddy, superintendent of police, DK said that he is secured and is being interrogated. Bharat will be produced in court after interrogation and police custody will be taken for further investigation.

So far six of the accused have been arrested in the Ashraf murder case. Bharat Kumdelu was seen in a press meet held by Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat in Mangaluru on May 28.

According to highly place sources, Bharat had planned the murder in Benjanapadavu. He himself had also collected weapons like sickle, knives and given to other accused.

His sharing dais with RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar during a press meet held recently had raised eyebrows. Police said they had an intention to create communal violence after the incident. The murder plot was hatched by two rowdy sheeters - Dhivyaraj Shetty, who was arrested earlier, and Bharat Kumdelu.

The other accused are Pavan Kumar, 24, Pudu village, Bantwal; Santosh, 23, Thumbay village; Shivaprasad, 24, Bollari house, Thumbay; Ranjith, 28, resident of Pudu village and Abhin Rai, 23, Thenkabellur village. Barring Santosh all the other have criminal cases registered against them. Abhin Rai was booked during Tipu Jayanthi violence in Bantwal, last year and a case was booked against Pavan in 2012 for placing pig head at a mosque in Bantwal to create communal tension.

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