RN Nayak murder case: Gangster Bannanje Raja & 3 others get life imprisonment

Bannanje Raja is the case's ninth defendant, and he's been charged with several significant criminal crimes in Bengaluru, Karnataka's coastal districts, and Maharashtra.

A special Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA) court sentenced international mobster and underworld don Bannanje Raja, dubbed "threat king," and three other accused persons to life in prison on Monday in connection with the spectacular shootout case of BJP leader and industrialist R N Nayak. The defendants had previously been found guilty by the special court.

Gangster Bannanje Raja gets sentenced to life (Source: twitter.com)

Along with Bannanje Raja, the court sentenced to life imprisonment Jagadish Patel, the main perpetrator from Uttar Pradesh, Abhi Bhandagar of Bengaluru, and Ganesh Bhajanthri of Udupi. Bannanje Raja is the ninth defendant in the case. He has been charged in several serious criminal cases in Bengaluru, Karnataka's coastal districts, and Maharashtra.

The ruling was issued by C.M. Joshi, a Special Court judge. Rabdin Pichai, the sixth accused, Mohammad Shabandri of Bengaluru, and Anand Ramesh Nayak of Uttara Kannada were all acquitted in the case. Other accused include Uttar Pradesh's Jagadish Patel, Bengaluru's Abhi Bhandagara, Udupi's Ganesh Bhajanthri, Kerala's K.M. Ismail, Hassan's Mahesh Achangi, Kerala's M.B. Santhosh, Bengaluru's Jagadish Chandraraj, and Uttar Pradesh's Ankit Kumar Kashyap.

A gunfight broke out in Ankola, Uttara Kannada district, on December 21, 2013. The accused were charged under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA), and this was the state's first case under the Act.

The Special Public Prosecutor's Office's S.B. Puranik Math and the Additional Public Prosecutor's Office's Shivaprasad Alva argued against the accused. The court's decision, according to Shivaprasad Alva, sends a positive message to society. The police and prosecution were successful in persuading the courts to prosecute the anti-social elements.

When asked if he had received any threats since the case involving gangster Bannanje Raja, he said there was no room for it because he had to do his job as a government official. “This ruling shows that no one is above the law. The law follows its logic. Legal action against any illegal elements will be ensured if the police and the prosecution work together to investigate the case,” he stated. This was the first case to be filed under KCOC Act in Karnataka. It is one of the many rarely-used laws. Only 16 cases have been filed under the Act so far.

Bannanje Raja had made an extortion call to the deceased Nayak, requesting money for protection. When he refused to pay the money, the accused assassinated him. Raja had also called media outlets from abroad, claiming that he had ordered the murder, casting doubt on the state and federal investigation authorities. Over seven years, the case was heard by several judges. After over 210 witnesses recorded their accounts, prosecutors produced 1,000 pages of documentation proof.

In 2013, the police prepared a charge sheet against 16 accused people who worked as allies and sharpshooters for Bannanje Raja. Three of the sixteen defendants have already fled the country. Vikas Upadhyaya of Uttar Pradesh, one of the accused, was shot and killed by police constable Ramesh Gowda, who was assigned to protect Nayak. The other 12 were apprehended and brought before a Karnataka court. Bannanje Raja was apprehended in Morocco.

Rajendra Shetty, also known as Bannanje Raja, has been charged with murder, extortion, and kidnapping, among other things. Interpol had issued a Red Corner warning against him. He was apprehended in Casablanca, Morocco, and eventually extradited to Karnataka.

Raja has a bachelor's degree in arts and has driven buses in Udupi and Bengaluru. He quickly started extorting money from businesspeople, and as his criminal profile grew, he relocated to Dubai, then to Morocco.