Bengaluru, April 22 (IANS) The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday granted relief to Anuradha, the second wife of the late underworld don Muthappa Rai, in connection with the shootout case involving his son, Ricky Rai.
The bench, headed by Justice Hemanth Chandangoudar, directed the police not to initiate any coercive action against Anuradha.
The order was issued while hearing a petition filed by Anuradha seeking the quashing of the FIR registered against her in the case.
Anuradha has been named as an accused in the incident in which Ricky Rai was shot at by unidentified assailants outside his farmhouse in Bidadi, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, during the intervening night of April 18 and 19.
The FIR was registered by the Bidadi Police against four individuals, including Anuradha, based on a complaint filed by Ricky’s driver, Basavaraj.
Senior counsel Venkatesh Arambatti, representing Anuradha, argued that her name was unnecessarily dragged into the case.
He submitted that all disputes between Anuradha and Ricky Rai had been resolved six months ago.
He also told the court that Anuradha had travelled to Europe with her daughter on April 14, and that she had no connection to the attempted murder.
Taking these submissions into consideration, the High Court granted interim relief to Anuradha.
Meanwhile, the Bidadi police, who are investigating the case, have been questioning Munappa Vittal, the gunman of Ricky Rai.
During questioning, Munappa reportedly developed chest pain and was admitted to a hospital.
Munappa had also worked as a gunman to Muthappa Rai.
Police sources revealed that they are verifying Ricky Rai’s claims and are sceptical about the sequence of events in the shootout case.
Investigations have revealed that an empty cartridge and a dummy mobile phone were found to be placed at the scene of the crime.
Rakesh Malli, the first accused in the case, appeared before the Investigating Officer at the Bidadi police station on Tuesday, accompanied by his lawyer. He underwent questioning and gave his statement, sources said.
Ramanagara Superintendent of Police Srinivas Gowda, speaking to the media, said that all individuals suspected of involvement in the incident are being questioned.
He also confirmed that Anuradha, the second wife of Muthappa Rai, will be served a notice and summoned for questioning.
“Anyone named by the complainant will be questioned,” he added.
According to police reports, on April 19, the bullets were fired while Ricky was travelling in his car.
Driver Basavaraj was driving, and Ricky reportedly managed to bend down just as the bullets were fired, narrowly avoiding fatal injuries.
He had sustained injuries to his nose and hand.
Ricky was seriously injured in the attack.
He was initially taken to a private hospital in Bidadi and later shifted to Bengaluru for further treatment.
Preliminary investigations had suggested that two attempts were made on Ricky’s life.
The first round of firing occurred at 11 p.m. last Friday.
Upon hearing the gunshot, Basavaraj got out of the vehicle to check.
Later, when the two were heading toward Bengaluru at around 12:50 a.m., the second attack took place.
Police had recovered two bullets from different locations near the farmhouse.
An FIR was filed against Rakesh Malli, Anuradha, Nitesh Shetty, and Vaidyanathan under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 109, 3(5), and under the Arms Act.
It was claimed that the attack reportedly occurred just as Ricky exited his farmhouse.
Police suspect underworld’s involvement and are also investigating the possibility that the attack was linked to a real estate dispute.
Another angle being probed is whether individuals harbouring resentment toward the late Muthappa Rai orchestrated the shooting.
Police are recording statements from family members and staff as part of the investigation.
Initial findings reveal that after Muthappa Rai’s death, disputes arose within the family between the children of his first and second wives.
The matter even reached the High Court.
Before his death, Muthappa Rai drafted a will dividing his property among his two children, his brother’s son, his second wife, and some of his workers.
Relatives informed police that multiple individuals hold grudges against Muthappa Rai’s family, and property disputes also persist.
Ricky resides at the Bidadi farmhouse and also owns a bungalow in the upscale Sadashivanagar locality in Bengaluru.
Investigators are looking into the timing and purpose of Ricky’s return to Bengaluru, probing whether he came to settle any of the ongoing disputes.
Interestingly, the attackers targeted the driver’s seat, possibly assuming that Ricky was driving the vehicle himself, as he often does.
–IANS
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