Bengaluru police open fire at ATM murder accused

BENGALURU:  Kumaraswamy Layout police on Saturday opened fire at a murder accused who pelted stones at policemen when they went to arrest him. The accused, Rajendra alias Benki alias Psycho Raja, allegedly robbed and killed ATM security guard Lingappa five days ago as he wanted money to buy drugs. According to the police, Raja, a resident of CK Palya on Bannerghatta Road, was earlier arrested for committing two similar crimes. He was also involved in setting fire to buses during the Cauvery violence, police said.  

A senior police officer said the identity of the killer was caught on CCTV camera at the ATM kiosk, and based on a tip-off, Raja was traced. “Police surrounded Raja at Konanakunte when he was going to commit a robbery. On noticing the policemen, he started pelting stones at them forcing police inspector Hazaresh Killedar to open two rounds fire at him to nab him,” the officer said.

Raja had killed 65-year-old Lingappa with a rock when the latter was sleeping on the bank premises at Padmanabanagar. Two days later, Raja attacked one Chand Pasha, who was sleeping in front of a provision store at Saarakki near JP Nagar. Pasha survived despite head injuries.       

According to the police, Raja used to attack sleeping people to rob them. He was addicted to drugs and used to roam at night around the city to rob people. Police said in 2009, Raja had killed his younger sister over a trivial issue and in 2011, he killed a security supervisor at Basavanagudi. He was in jail for four years and got out on bail.