Karnataka - Mangalore   

Police unearth plot to free accused

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE, AUG. 13. The police have unravelled a conspiracy behind the botched escape attempt by Rohi, alias Vamanjoor Rohi, undergoing life imprisonment for murder, with the arrest of four persons involved in it, here on Friday.

The police are on the lookout for four others involved in the case. The arrest has set at rest speculation that the gang made an attempt on the life of Rohi.

B.S. Lokesh Kumar, Additional Superintendent of Police, told presspersons here on Friday that the police had nabbed Lancy D'Souza, Naveen Rai, alias "Chilli" Naveen, Chandra, alias Chandrashekar and Neelu, alias Neel Kumar, in this connection. They had conspired with Rohi and Pandu (in judicial custody) to help the former escape when he was being brought here from Mysore in connection with a court appearance scheduled for Wednesday.

The incident, which took place late on Tuesday, left the city stunned.

The arrest of the four accused and their subsequent statements have confirmed that the attempt was to try and free Rohi and not to kill him.

Mr. Kumar said the intention of the gang in trying to help Rohi escape was to use him to kill Chethu, an accused in the sensational Bolar triple murder case.

Chethu was acquitted by a court recently. Rohi and his accomplices, Shaktivelu of Belthangady, Vinod Shettigar of Udupi, a murder accused, Shabari and Guru, were Chethu's enemies and wanted to eliminate him.

Mr. Kumar said it was possibly the intention of Shaktivelu to utilise Rohi's services in some of his financial dealings in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

At present, Shaktivelu and Vinod Shettigar, along with Shabari and Guru are at large, Mr. Kumar said.

The police had seized an autorickshaw as well a talwar used by the four accused to commit the crime. They had details of a car and an autorickshaw reportedly used by the gang.

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