Bengaluru: The main accused in the shocking murder of RTI activist 45-year-old Lingaraju in Chamarajpet last year, allegedly tried to extort money from a businessman in Binnypet and even threatened to have him killed. All this while languishing inside the walls of Parappana Agrahara central prison.
The suspect, Chandranna, has reportedly been threatening businessman S Chakrapani (36) of Vittal Nagar in Chamarajpet to pay a large sum for his advocate’s expenses, so the suspect can get out of jail.
Further muddying the already-murky waters, a person claiming to be Chandranna’s rival, has also called Chakrapani asking for the businessman to tip him off the moment Chandranna comes out of prison, so that he could kill him.
After receiving several calls from unidentified men claiming to be history sheeters and using him as a medium to wage war against each other, a fed-up and scared Chakrapani, a businessman at the APMC Yard in Binnypet, has sought police protection.
In his call to the businessman, Chandranna stated that he was calling from prison. He said that he was in dire need of money to pay his lawyer’s fees, to make bail and come out of jail.
Refusing any form of help, Chakrapani just ignored the calls. However, a few youths claiming to be Chandranna’s associates accosted the target outside his shop in Binnypet and threatened to kill him unless the payment was made within a week.
Worried, the businessman disclosed the goings-on to his family and friends, but Chakrapani’s worries did not end there. Within the next two days, he received a call from another unidentified number from a man claiming to be Chandranna’s arch emesis.
This caller, who did not reveal his identity, threatened the victim and told him to let him know the moment Chandranna came out of prison, so that he could kill him. “Fearing that his life was in great danger, the businessman has approached us and sought protection,” said sources in the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South division).
“It is still not clear if the first call from Chandranna was from Parappana Agrahara”, they added. Nearly nine people were arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of RTI activist Lingaraju in November last year. One of the accused was 32-year-old Chandra.
