A Karnataka police official accused of kidnap and extortion was found dead in Murgod village in Belagavi district on Tuesday.
Chikmagaluru Rural Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Kalappa Handibag, was found dead on Tuesday morning in his relative’s house in Murgod village, a senior police officer in Chikmagalur district told The News Minute. Details of why and how he took the extreme step are yet to be established.
Karnataka MP Pratap Simha on Facebook said that Handibag committed suicide for no mistake of his. He urged media not to assassinate Handibag's character without knowing the truth.
He wrote: "DYSP Kallappa Handibag commits suicide for no mistake. He was a very honest and upright officer. He was from Kuruba community, But never used his caste for postings or for any favours. Dear Media, unearth the truth before you assassinate his character. A humble request.
Handibag was accused of kidnapping a financier named Thejas who lodged a complaint against the DySP with the Basavanahalli police station on Monday. A departmental inquiry was subsequently ordered against him.
According to the senior police officer, soon after the complaint was registered, Handibag and other accused, Abhijith, Naveen Shetty, Nataraja and Khandya Praveen, were absconding.
Kempanahalli-based financier Thejas HM (37) was allegedly abducted and assaulted until the ransom for his release was paid.
Thejas reportedly told the police that he was abducted by six men on June 28 from near his house. He was taken in a Scorpio car (KA 20 N 3657) by a group of people led by a man identified as Abijith. Brought to Bengaluru, he was kept captive in a tiny room in an old warehouse and tortured while the ransom of Rs 10 lakh was raised.
On the day Thejas filed the complaint, unauthenticated audio clippings of calls allegedly made to Handibag were circulating on social media.
In the audio clippings (available with The News Minute), a man named Pavan, who is Thejas’s friend, can be heard making calls to someone who is heard giving directions. The man asks Pavan “How much” he had brought, to which Pavan replies “10”. The man then asks Pavan to come to a particular spot.
Thejas has alleged that these calls were made to DySP Handibag. In the audio clippings, the ringtone of the man who answers the phone is the callertune of the Chikmagalur police.