Latest news with #KarnatakaControlofOrganisedCrimesAct
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Renukaswamy murder case: Darshan, other accused kept in separate cells; two more accused sent to jail
Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa and the other accused, who were re-arrested on Thursday in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case after the Supreme Court cancelled their bail, are being held in the admission barracks in separate cells of Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. The Supreme Court had warned of strict action if any special treatment is given to him after the previous episode. During his earlier stint in the Bengaluru Central Prison last year, a photograph surfaced showing Darshan hobnobbing with rowdy-sheeters Wilson Garden Naga and Srinivas and allegedly getting preferential treatment. The leaked image left prison authorities red-faced and led to Darshan's transfer to Ballari Prison. Southeast division police headed by DCP Sarah Fathiema are investigating the cases that followed the leaked picture. A source told The Hindu that at they are preparing to file charge sheets in the cases. Bengaluru city police followed up the development with surprise raids, uncovering multiple irregularities. Subsequently, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) moved the court and secured orders to transfer the rowdy sheeters to other prisons in the State. These individuals had been detained under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA), the harshest law in the Karnataka Police statutes. Given the history of irregularities at the central prison, officials have now made extensive arrangements to securely house Darshan and his associates. Two more remanded Meanwhile, two more accused in the murder case were remanded in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison on Friday. The police produced Jagadeesh alias Jagga (accused number 6) and Anu Kumar alias Anu (accused number 7) before a judge at his residence in southeastern Bengaluru on Friday, after which they were escorted to the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. S. Girish, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), West, who is overseeing the developments, told The Hindu that both were arrested in Chitradurga. 'They have been remanded in judicial custody until August 23 and will be produced before the court again on that date,' Mr. Girish said. The Supreme Court set aside a Karnataka High Court order granting bail to seven of the 17 accused in the murder of Renukaswamy, a Chitradurga resident. Renukaswamy's body was found near a stormwater drain close to Sumanahalli in west Bengaluru on June 9, 2024. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of 17 people, including Darshan and his friend Pavithra Gowda. Police filed a charge sheet in September, after which Darshan and six others approached the Karnataka High Court and were granted bail on October 30, 2024. Bengaluru police later petitioned the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of their bail. On Thursday, the apex court ruled in favour of Bengaluru police, leading to the re-arrest of all the accused. Pavithra was the first to be detained from her residence in RR Nagar, followed by other accused, including Pradosh, Lakshman, and Nagaraj. Darshan was arrested from his wife's apartment in Hosakerehalli, south Bengaluru, where he had gone to visit his wife and son.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Indian Express
Stringent KCOCA invoked in Bengaluru realtor murder case in which BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj is an accused
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Karnataka Police recently obtained government clearances to invoke the provisions of the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA), 2000, in the case of the murder of real estate dealer Bikla Shiva alias V G Shivaprakash on July 15 at Bharathinagar in Bengaluru, in which the BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj is an accused. 'Clearances have been obtained for invoking KCOCA in the Bharathinagar murder case,' said a police source. A group of more than eight people allegedly killed Shiva, a resident of Halasuru, when he was standing outside his home in Halasuru with his driver and a friend on July 15. The Bengaluru police have arrested 16 people in the murder case and Basavarajraj, the Krishnarajapura MLA, is among the five people named in the First Information Report (FIR). The police have questioned the MLA even as the Karnataka High Court has provided protection from arrest to him following a petition for the quashing of the case against him. A key accused in the case, Jagadish alias Jaga, a former gangster who is a close associate of the BJP MLA, is still at large and is suspected to have fled to Dubai shortly after the murder. CCTV visuals gathered from his apartment block show him leaving in an Audi car within 10 minutes of the murder. The CID moved Interpol to issue a Blue Corner Notice to locate Jagadish, who is alleged to have orchestrated the murder of Shiva over a real estate dispute in the Kithaganur area of East Bengaluru, police sources said. Jagadish featured in gangster lists in East Bengaluru till a decade ago before being removed allegedly under the influence of an MLA. The police are investigating calls received by a personal assistant (PA) of the MLA from the mobile phone of Jagadish after the murder, as well as a series of calls in the run-up to the crime between the PA, two of the accused in the murder, and two associates of the MLA, who were previously gangsters. The investigation of the murder case by the Bengaluru police before it was handed to the CID revealed that Shiva, who also had a criminal record, complained on multiple occasions of being harassed by a gang led by a former history-sheeter, Jagadish P alias Jaga, an associate of the K R Pura BJP MLA, over a 1.5-acre property. According to the police, the name of Basavaraj was added in the FIR after Vijayalakshmi, 68, mother of Shiva, who claimed to have witnessed the murder from the balcony of her house, said her son had been complaining about receiving threats from the close associates of the MLA. Kiran K, 34, and Vimal Raj, 31, two key henchmen of Jagadish, and their associates Pradeep K, 27; Madan R, 27; Samuel V, 24; Arun Temu, 25; and Naveen K, 24, are the men arrested for allegedly hatching the conspiracy to execute the murder. Kiran and Vimal are named in multiple criminal cases in East Bengaluru, said the police. KCOCA is used to control organised crime on account of its stringent provisions for police custody of arrested persons, stronger norms for the grant of bail, provisions for the use of phone intercepts and police confessions as evidence, and 180 days for chargesheets. Under KCOCA, a person is considered to be involved in 'continuing unlawful activity' if any one person in the group of people who are accused of a crime has more than one chargesheet for similar offences filed against their name in the preceding 10 years. Introduced in 2000, it has been utilised by the Karnataka Police since 2015 as an effective measure to combat organised crime. The law includes provisions on bail, evidence, culpability, and other aspects that enhance the police's ability to prosecute individuals involved in organised, violent crimes.
The Hindu
23-07-2025
- The Hindu
Police caution accused persons of invoking KCCOA if they commit repeated crimes
Invoking provisions of the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act, 2000 (KCCOA) against two undertrial prisoners of Mangaluru district prison for extorting money from another undertrial prisoner, the Mangaluru City Police on Wednesday, July 23, cautioned anti-social elements of stern action if they continue committing crimes. In a video statement here, Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy said even those in the company of KCCOA accused would be treated on a par with the accused and booked under the Act. Assaulting inmate In the instant case, Dhanush Bhandary alias Dhanu, Dilesh Bangera alias Dilu, Loy Vegas alias Loy, and Sachin Talapadi, who were under judicial custody in the prison had allegedly assaulted another inmate, Mithun, on July 9. They threatened to kill him of he did not pay ₹50,000 to them and allegedly forced the inmate to inform his wife when he calls her from the jail telephone booth to deposit money to their accounts. Mithun had not informed the jail authorities about the assault out of fear and he reported the same when senior police officials visited the prison on July 12 for inspection. following this, jail superintendent Sharanappa filed a complaint with the Barke Police. The police had registered a case of extortion against the four. Mr. Reddy said two of them already were facing charges under KCCOA and the other two too were booked under that Act on Wednesday, July 23. Earlier cases Mr. Reddy said the accused already had more than one case under trial in courts that attract more than three years punishment. Existence of such cases would come under the definitions of Organised Crime, Organised Crime Syndicate and Continuing unlawful activity as defined in KCOCA Act, if they commit fresh crimes, he explained. Even though the offences registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita attract lesser punishment when proved guilty, the minimum imprisonment under KCCOA for committing offences defined under it, would be five years that could be extended to life imprisonment. Therefore, every one should be cautious in not being a part of organised crime, the commissioner said.
Hindustan Times
22-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru leads Karnataka with over 6,000 rowdies, total count at 39,698 by June 2025: Report
Karnataka reported a total of 39,698 known rowdies by June 2025, of which, the capital city, Bengaluru, was home to 6,249 — well over triple the count in Kalaburagi, which holds second place at 1,934, The Hindu reported. Improved police strategies helped locate over 750 'out of view' rowdies from 2023 to 2025 in Karnataka. (ANI Photo/For representation) Among the state-wide tally, 23,016 are currently labeled as active rowdies. The rest are not presently linked to fresh criminal cases. ALSO READ | Bengaluru UPI panic explained: Why small traders are saying 'no to QR, yes to cash' When it comes to active rowdy elements, the top five cities were: Bengaluru: 6,210 Kalaburagi: 1,475 Ramanagara: 952 Hassan: 883 Tumakuru: 856 To control crime, Bengaluru's authorities used KCOCA (Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act) statutes against over 90 individuals in 2024. During B. Dayananda's term as police commissioner, efforts intensified to locate so-called 'out of view' (OV) rowdies, who had managed to avoid regular checks or had disappeared from ongoing surveillance. Though traditionally, those maintained on rowdy sheets are intended for constant tracking and not meant to be considered OVs, this category mainly targeted habitual thieves. Between 2023 and 2025, over 750 OV rowdies were located by Bengaluru police, marking a stronger emphasis on monitoring and crackdown efforts, the report stated. ALSO READ | Tree loss due to Bengaluru metro construction less than feared, at 6,800: Report According to S. Girish, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Division), there has been a marked improvement in watchfulness at the police station level, the report said. He detailed how officers maintain three separate lists for better oversight: - A List: Includes long-term active rowdies. - B List: For those committing crimes outside their registered jurisdiction. - C List: Monitors emerging rowdy elements. Cops also put a focus light on improved coordination between constables, sub-inspectors, and inspectors, which helped ensure real-time updates and information flow. Other preventive strategies also involved acquiring written assurances from individuals with known rowdy backgrounds.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Community-targeted killings need to be probed by NIA, says forum
Mangaluru: All India Practising Lawyers Council president and high court advocate S Balan demanded that the murders of Ashraf and Abdul Rahiman be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Balan told reporters here on Saturday that the murders of Ashraf and Abdul Rahiman are 'community-targeted killings', which is a scheduled crime. He demanded an NIA probe into it, besides invoking the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the accused in both cases. Balan, who led a fact-finding delegation of the council, said that Rahiman of Kolthamajalu was a victim of community-targeted murder. "The accused in the Rahiman murder case were very close to the family of the deceased. We visited Rahiman's house and interacted with the family and relatives. Those accused participated in the protest meeting held in Bajpe, where leaders made provocative speeches. The police should not have allowed the VHP to hold a public rally in Bajpe after the murder of Suhas Shetty," he said. Further, Balan said that Ashraf, who was mob lynched in Kudupu, did not have any connection to the communal crimes reported in the district. He said that Ashraf was killed only because of his religious identity. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Le Bitcoin Passe la Barre des 90 000$ – Un Marché Haussier est-il en train de Naître ? eToro Market Updates Click Here Undo He accused the central govt of demonstrating a discriminatory attitude towards Muslims by not referring the two murder cases to the NIA, despite their qualification for the same. He said that the murder case of rowdy-sheeter and Hindutva activist Suhas Shetty was referred to the NIA, even though it was an 'individual targeted revenge killing', a non-scheduled crime. "Handing over Shetty's murder to the NIA is a misuse of constitutional provisions and political power," he said. On the involvement of PFI members in the murder of Shetty, which was considered a ground for an NIA probe, Balan said PFI is not a declared terrorist organisation, but only an unlawful association. Balan stressed the need for the state govt to amend the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act, stating that existing laws cannot curb hate speech. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
