The police arrested former suspected naxalite, Nilaguli Padmanabha, here on Thursday after a non-bailable warrant was issued by a court in Kundapur in relation to two cases of damaging three bridges in Madamakki village coming under Amasebail police station limits in Udupi district in 2004 and 2005.
In a press release issued here, Superintendent of Police, Laxman Nimbargi, said that Mr. Padmanabha had not appeared at the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court in Kundapur for the hearing of these cases. Hence, the court had issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for him.
On September 30, 2004, six armed suspected naxalites, including Mr. Padmanabha, had allegedly damaged a concrete bridge belonging to the Department of Forests at Hanja in Madamakki village.
In another instance, on June 24, 2005, five suspected armed naxalites had allegedly damaged two small bridges belonging to the Department of Forests at Bellimane in Madamakki village.
Meanwhile, the JMFC court in Kundapur remanded Mr. Padmanabha in judicial custody to 14 days.
Mr. Padmanabha was in Udupi since June 4, 2018, for a trial in court here in connection with the murder of a teacher Bhoja Shetty and an agriculturist Suresh Shetty, which took place at Sitanadi village coming under Hebri police station in Udupi district on May 15, 2008, when he was arrested by the police here on Thursday.
It may be recalled that Nilaguli Padmanabha was among the four persons, who had surrendered before the State-appointed committee set up to implement the policy of encouraging left-wing extremists to give up arms in Chikkamagaluru on November 14, 2016.