B'luru police open fire to nab 2 men involved in BJP leader's killing

Bengaluru, June 25 (IANS) The Bengaluru Police on Friday opened fire on two persons, who are wanted in a case related to the killing of local BJP leader Rekha Kadiresh, after the duo resisted the police's effort to arrest them.

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, Kamal Pant, told reporters that the police teams were forced to open fire after firing warning shots in the air as the accused persons resisted the search teams' efforts to nab them.

"We are investigating the matter based on a family member's complaint," he said in response to a question.

Rekha (45) was hacked to death in broad daylight on Thursday morning in front of her local office in Cottonpet, one of the oldest and thickly populated areas of Bengaluru.

Rekha was a two-time member of the Bengaluru civic body -- the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). She was the second wife of rowdy-sheeter Kadiresh, who was also a BJP leader and was killed in a similar fashion by an armed gang in February 2018.

Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had directed the police on Thursday to nab the assailants within 24 hours.

According to the police, the duo -- Peter aka 'Lamboo Peter' and Surya -- was hiding in a forest area in Sunkadakatte after they had fled from the crime scene.

The police said they were forced to open fire after the duo attacked a sub-inspector and a constable at the time of their arrest.

Both Peter and Surya are now admitted to a hospital for treatment and further investigation is on, informed the police.

"Surya and Peter were the first ones to assault Rekha on her neck with sharp weapons. Despite the gruesome attack, she ran about 100 metres, but the gang chased her down and attacked her in broad daylight. Though some people managed to take her to a hospital, she was declared dead," the police said, adding that they identified the accused persons based on eyewitness accounts and the CCTV footages from the nearby buildings.

The police said they have CCTV footage of Peter and Surya fleeing from the spot with the help of Stephen, who is also a relative of Rekha.

The police said that the attack was executed by a five-member gang, of which three are still on the run though they have also been identified.

Peter is also a relative of Kadiresh as he had eloped with his niece in 2017, a year before the latter was killed. Bad blood existed between them since then.