Karnataka: Fazil Killed ‘In Revenge For BJP Leader’s Murder,’ Says Report

Mohammed Fazil was hacked to death on Thursday evening as part of a conspiracy following the murder of BJP youth leader Praveen Nettaru, 32, according to the police investigation, the Indian Express reported.

The Mangaluru police on Tuesday said that Fazil’s name was picked out from a list of six people discussed by the gang following Nettaru’s murder on July 26. Mangaluru Police Commissioner N Shashikumar told the newspaper that they were looking at the other five names who were considered on the list.

Six people have been arrested for the murder with all of them having criminal records in Mangaluru City and Dakshina Kannada district.

The six arrested include Suhas Shetty, 29 (one murder and two assault cases against him), Mohan Singh alias Nepali Mohan (26), Giridhar (23), Abhishek (25) and Srinivas Katipalla (23), all of them have two prior criminal cases against them; and Deekshit Katipalla, 21, (three prior cases). Two of the men were also previously associated with a local gangster in Kodikere who has been involved in communal assaults.

According to the Police, Suhas Shetty, Abhishek and Mohan Singh were the main attackers.

Except Ajit Crasta, all six belong to the radical Hindu organization Bajrang Dal. Police said that they just “wanted to kill someone”.

Mohammed Fazil was killed in Surathkal on the outskirts of Mangaluru city on July 28 by four men.

Commissioner Shashikumar told Indian Express, “It has emerged from our investigation that Mohammed Fazil was specifically targeted. They kept a watch over his house, identified him and then targeted him. It was not a case of mistaken identity.”

Of the six accused, one was familiar with the victim and his movements, as per the officer, “He identified the victim as a target… There was a discussion about five or six other people as well and the department is carrying out investigations about the persons that the gang may have targeted.”

“We cannot say whether it (the killing) was linked to any other crime. Once we investigate them in custody, all the details will emerge,” he added.

The officer, however, said they were not ruling out the possibility of the men having personal animosity towards the people whose names were considered to be targeted.