A petition was submitted to the Karnataka Home Minister to provide security and take legal action in connection with alleged death threats to Gunaranjan Shetty, who is Tollywood and Kollywood actor Anushka Shetty’s brother. The members of Kannada outfit Jayakarnataka Janapara Vedike, run by Gunaranjan Shetty, have submitted a petition to Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Sunday, June 12, seeking protection and legal action. The members have alleged that the death threats were issued by friends-turned-foes, who have been identified as Manvit Rai and Rakesh Malli.
Gunaranjan Shetty, Manvit Rai (a relative of Muttappa Rai) and Rakesh Malli are said to have worked for reformed underworld don Muttappa Rai, after whose death, they separated. Muthappa Rai joined the underworld in the late 1970s and is said to be the first to introduce gun culture in the otherwise sword and machete-wielding Bengaluru underworld in the mid 1980s. He left Bengaluru in 1996 and shifted his base to Mumbai and Dubai where he established himself as a businessman while continuing his underworld operations. Muthappa Rai, the founder of the social services organisation Jaya Karnataka, passed away on May 15 in 2020 after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 68.
Meanwhile, the people who submitted the petition to the Home Minister demanded the arrest of Rakesh Malli and Manvit Rai. On the other hand, Manvit Rai has stated that he is abroad and unable to understand why these allegations have been made against him. He has claimed that no threats are being made at anyone, adding that there are no criminal cases against him either. However, police sources stated that Rakesh Malli had been questioned by the police in this regard. Further investigation is underway.