A notorious Bengaluru gangster was shot dead in an encounter after he allegedly attempted to escape police custody in an early morning chase through the city. Slum Bharat, who has over 50 criminal cases registered against him, died after suffering grievous gunshot wounds on Thursday.
Bengaluru north division police shot Slum Bharat at Hesarghatta around 5 am on Thursday after he and his associates allegedly tried to attack the police with guns and machetes. Police Inspector Venkataramanappa shot at Bharat twice. He was rushed to Saptagiri Hospital where he died as he was not responding to treatment.
Slum Bharat was involved in several criminal cases, including murder, attempted murder, extortion and assault. Bharat was apprehended by the Bengaluru police in Uttar Pradesh two days ago. He was brought to Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Around 11.30 pm on January 30, the Banashankari Police crashed a birthday party organised by Slum Bharat after receiving a tip-off on his location. Bharat and his associates managed to escape the police and remained elusive until the police tracked him down to UP, where he was finally arrested on Tuesday. The police were taking Bharat to various crime scenes as procedure during investigation when he allegedly attempted escape.
What happened on Thursday morning?
In the late hours of Wednesday, the police had finished conducting the spot mahajar (a process where the accused is taken to various scenes of crime and asked to describe in detail the events that transpired in said areas). The convoy of two vehicles was moving through Rajgopalnagar when Slum Bharat’s associates waylaid the police vehicle. His associates attacked the police vehicle with machetes and even fired shots at the police.
One of the bullets hit Rajagopalnagar Police Inspector Dinesh Patil BS on his torso. Since he was wearing a bullet-proof vest, he did not sustain injuries. Another bullet fell on the police vehicle. DCP North Shashikumar said that Slum Bharat’s associates tried to hack one of the policemen in the second vehicle with a machete. They managed to get Bharat onto a Zen car and fled the scene.
The police immediately alerted the control room and all police stations across the city and also in its outskirts were alerted of Bharat’s escape. Patrol vehicles were asked to notify the control room if any car bearing the said license plate number as the Zen car was spotted in their jurisdiction.
Around 5 am, a patrol vehicle on Hesaraghatta Road alerted the control room that a Zen car with the same license plate number was in the area. A team of police officials rushed to Hesaraghatta Road in Peenya. After chasing Bharat for a few minutes, the police were closing in on the car when Bharat allegedly opened fire at the policemen.
Nandini Layout Police Inspector Venkataramanappa fired a shot in the air and asked Bharat to surrender. However, Bharat’s associates allegedly attacked the policemen in the vehicle. Police constable Subhash of Nandini Layout police station sustained a bullet injury to his arm. Venkataramanappa shot two rounds at Bharat. The bullets hit his leg and abdomen, DCP North Shashikumar said. The abdomen injury proved fatal, the police said.
Constable Subhash is currently undergoing treatment at Saptagiri hospital and his condition is stable, police said.
In March 2019, Bharath was arrested for being part of a gang that hacked to death Gangster Lazmana near ISKCON temple in Bengaluru. At the same time, he was also accused of hiring other rowdies to kill Sandalwood actor Arjun Dev. He was arrested in March 2019 in connection with both these cases.