Weapons, crime diary seized from Bengaluru rowdy sheeter 'Bomb' Naga, political ambitions probed

Days after he was arrested from Arcot in Tamil Nadu, Bengaluru-based former BBMP corporator and rowdy sheeter V Nagaraj alias Bomb Naga continues to be questioned by police. 

 

He was arrested a month after demonetised currency running into several crore rupees was recovered from his house in Srirampura on April 11.

 

On Wednesday, the police conducted another search operation at his house, in which Naga and his two sons- also arrested- Gandhi and Shashtri were present. 

 

The Times of India reports that the police were able to recover baseball bats, and weapons including machetes from the house. Although Naga had confessed to the investigation team that there were more demonetised currency stacked away at his house, the police was unable to recover it, say reports. 

 

At the end of the seven-hour-long search, the police also recovered  a diary that contains telephone numbers of at least 150 people, including criminals and history sheeters, say reports. 

 

Speaking about the search operation, an unnamed police source told TOI: “During probe, Naga had said that he has more black money hidden in the house. So we carried out a search operation. But he now says his wife, who is absconding, might have shifted the money elsewhere or burnt them down." 

 

According to The New Indian Express, Naga had been nurturing political ambitions. Confessing that he has converted around Rs 50 Crore post demonetisation, Naga reportedly told police that he had plans of contesting the next elections to become an MLA.

 

It was during a raid conducted on April 14 that a team of Bengaluru police recovered crores of demonetised currency from Naga's house. The police, who conducted the raid based on a complaint from an individual, were however, not able to nab Naga. The month that followed saw numerous developments in the case, including Naga applying for an anticipatory bail, claiming that the money that was seized from his house belonged to senior police officials. He had also later released a CD, in which he reiterated his earlier statements that the raid was a conspiracy by senior police officials. 

 

On May 11, a team of the Bengaluru police arrested Naga and his two sons while they were trying to escape from the cops in a car. They were arrested after a chase, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner had told TNM soon after the accused were arrested.