The Mangaluru police in Karnataka Saturday arrested eight men in connection with the murder of history-sheeter Bajarang Dal member Suhas Shetty and said a probe revealed that he was killed in retaliation to the murder of one Mohammed Fazil in 2022 and an attack on another man in 2023. Shetty was the prime accused in the Fasil murder case.
The arrested have been identified as Abdul Safwan, 29, and Niyaz, 28, both residents of Shantigudde; Mohammed Muzamil, 32, from Kenjar, who was recently employed in Saudi Arabia and married just four months ago; Kalandhar Shafi, 31, from Kursugudde, working in Bengaluru; Ranjith, 19, and Nagraj, 20, from Kalasa in Chikkamagaluru; Mohammed Rizwan, 28, from Jokatte, another returnee from Saudi Arabia; and Adil Maharoof, the brother of Fazil.
The group comprises drivers, masons, salesmen, and other workers, indicating a network of diverse backgrounds, said the police.
A group of assailants, armed with blunt objects, allegedly surrounded Shetty and inflicted fatal injuries before fleeing. Shetty faced five cases against him, including four in Mangaluru city and one in Dakshina Kannada district.
Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal revealed that the murder of Shetty was a pre-planned act. “The assailants arrived in a Swift car and a Bolero pickup, intercepted Shetty’s vehicle, and brutally murdered him.”
According to Agrawal, the conspiracy was orchestrated by Abdul Safwan, who had been attacked in 2023 in a case where Shetty was suspected to have played a role.
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