Bengaluru: Ravi Belagere, editor of Kannada tabloid ‘Hi Bangalore’, was arrested by the Crime Branch of police over allegations that he gave ‘supari’ to kill former colleague Sunil Heggaravanahalli.
The police picked up a gunrunner, Tahir Hussain, for questioning four days ago. Tahir led the investigators to Shashidar Mundewadi, a contract killer.
Shashidhar was arrested from Vijayapura district. He told police that he had taken ‘supari’ from Belagere to kill Heggaravanahalli three months ago. Based on Shashidhar’s statements, Belagere was arrested.
Police sources said Belagere wanted to get Sunil killed for personal reasons. They said Belgere sent his office boy along to show the killers the house of his former colleague.
He was produced before a magistrate on Friday and has been remanded to custody till December 18.
Gun seized from Tahir Hussain (Photo: CNN-News18)
Belagere was among two editors who was given one year in jail for breach of privilege by the speaker of the Karnataka Assembly. However, he got a stay on from the Karnataka high court.
Hussain was arrested on December 3rd. Based on the information he gave, Mundewadi was arrested at 11.15 PM on Thursday night.
On interrogation, he revealed that he and his friend Viju Badiger had gone to Ravi Belegare's office on 28th August. Belegare had given him a gun with four bullets and a knife to eliminate Heggaravanahalli.
Mundewadi said that Belagere said he will give whatever amount he wanted for doing the job and gave a Rs 15000 advance. Then an office boy from Belagere's took the two to Heggaravanahalli's house in Utharahalli.
Later, Mundewadi and Badigar went to the house with the intention of shooting him. However they were unable to carry out the hit. They then went back to Belagare, handed the gun back to him and said they would come back in a month and carry out the hit.
CCB raided Belagere’s office at 1.30pm after getting warrant from a magistrate. They recovered a revolver with 53 live bullets, one used bullet, a deer skin, one double barrel gun with 41 live bullets, and a large tortoise skin.
Mundewadi has several cases of murder against him. In 2006, he was an accused in the murder of Muthu Master. In 2013, he was accused in the murder of Basappa Harijan, while in 2014, he was accused of killing his friend Suresh Lalasangi.
Apart from this, a case robbery was registered against him while this year, an illegal weapons case was registered against him in Maharashtra's Meeraj.
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