History-sheeter V Nagaraj blames it on his fate as he leaves a court in Bengaluru on Friday. DH photo
Former corporator V Nagaraj and his sons Gandhi and Shastri were on Friday remanded in police custody till May 22.
The three had gone absconding after the police raided their house on April 14. They were detained in Tamil Nadu on Thursday afternoon by the Bengaluru police. The three are reportedly involved in a money laundering case.
They were brought to the city late on Thursday night and were examined at Ambedkar Medical College.
“The police produced them before the 11th ACMM court in Mayo Hall on Friday. K S Jyothishi, the judge, remanded them in police custody till May 22,” said a senior police officer.
Nagaraj’s advocate pleaded against the remand for 15 days saying he was suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes. Moreover, the city police have already collected information about him, he contended. The judge rejected the plea and remanded him in police custody, the officer stated.
Meanwhile, the police custody of Nagaraj’s 11 associates expired on Friday. The court extended the police custody of Saravana and Jayakrishna for five more days, while the others were remanded in judicial custody.
Nagaraj’s advocate requested the judge to direct the police to question his clients in keeping with Supreme Court directions and instruct the police not to torture them.
Sriram Reddy, the senior advocate who represented Nagaraj and his sons in the money laundering case, withdrew from the case saying Nagaraj did not heed his advice in the money laundering case.
Rs 2L for late arrest?
The action by the police in Nagaraj’s case has led to speculation. “The delay in arresting Nagaraj and swift action after he released the second video is hard to understand,” a former city police commissioner said.
“The Bengaluru city police unit is one of the best forces in the country. The police knew the complete background of Nagaraj, including his informants in the police department. Such a unit could have caught him in less than 48 hours. The delay indicates pressure on the police in acting against Nagaraj for various reasons,” he said.
Another officer, who headed the city’s crime wing, echoed similar views and termed the arrest a possible stage-managed show. The officers criticised the decision to reward the team involved in the arrests with Rs 2 lakh.
“The Rs 2-lakh cash reward for arresting a man whose antecedents the police knew very well after a delay of 27 days is a mockery of the police establishment. It is actually a reward for delaying action,” he charged.