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Karnataka: Gangster, 7 others get life term for killing industrialist
According to police, Raja, who originally hailed from Malpe in Udupi, had demanded about ₹3 crore as extortion from Nayak. However, Nayak refused to pay him, after which he was gunned down in his car.
The Belagavi district Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA) court on Monday awarded life imprisonment to gangster Bannanje Raja and three others for the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party leader and industrialist RN Nayak in 2013. The murder was the first case registered under KCOCA.
Justice C M Joshi pronounced the judgment in Belagavi on April 4. The judgment was read out in court in the presence of lawyers and others.
The court awarded life imprisonment to Jagadish Patel, Abhi Bhandagar, Ganesh Bhajanthri and Raja, who were involved in several serious criminal cases in Bengaluru, coastal districts in Karnataka and Maharashtra. While 13 were arrested, the Belagavi court found three accused not guilty due to lack of evidence.
RN Nayak was shot dead on December 21, 2013, in Ankola of Uttara Kannada district. Over 210 witnesses deposed before the court over seven years, including IPS officers like current Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai, ADGP Pratap Reddy and former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao.
The police’s 500-page charge sheet filed in 2013 had named 16 accused, including Raja.
According to police, Raja, who originally hailed from Malpe in Udupi, had demanded about ₹3 crore as extortion from Nayak. However, Nayak refused to pay him, after which he was gunned down in his car. Later, Raja called up media houses from a foreign location and claimed that he had got the murder carried out, severely embarrassing the state and central investigation agencies.
Special Public Prosecutor SB Puranik Math said: “This judgment shows that no one is above the law. The law takes its course. If police and prosecution join hands and pursue the case unitedly, legal action against any criminal element is ensured.”
Raja is involved in 44 serious criminal offences, including murder, extortion and kidnapping. Authorities had issued an Interpol Red Corner notice against him. He was nabbed in Casablanca of Morocco and was later extradited to Karnataka.
