Hitendra Prasad murdered: 5 arrested

From our Udupi office
UDUPI : It was an expected end to the life of a dreaded and notorious criminal who was also a blackmail journalist. Hitendra Prasad, an anti-social element in the guise of a journalist, was brutally butchered by a gang of assailants outside the Tallur’s Live Band at Manipal on the night of August 21. He was a man notorious for several of his misdeeds including hafta collection and rowdyism. He was also running a fortnightly named ‘Hai Marutha’ which only resorted to blackmail journalism.
Police have so far arrested five persons in connection with tthe murder, including Pitti Nagesh, the prime accused, who is also a dreaded criminal of the locality.
Hitendra was murdered when he had been to the Tallur’s live band that night to demand a hafta of Rs 3 lakh from its owner, along with Deviprasad Shetty, the Udupi district president of the JD(S). In fact both were notorious for threatening and demanding hafta from those indulging in illegal activities including operators of live bands in Udupi.
Reports say Hitendra used to receive mamool regularly from the various live bands in the town except from the newly opened Tallur’s Live Band at Manipal. It’s management, it is learnt had failed to budge to his demands. Though its owner Rohit Kumar Kateel also a past international athlete had given Rs 50,000 to Hitendra in one instalment, he had refused to pay the monthly mamool. Along with Hitendra, even Deviprasad Shetty, is said to have placed forth a demand for Rs 3 lakh and had barged into the live band with his group of loyalists that night to threaten the owner. It is said it was Shetty himself who had asked Hitendra to be present there that night. However, the fracas culminated in the murder of Hitendra Prasad.
It has now been gathered that the family of Hitendra has decided against publishing the ‘Hai Marutha’ periodical of Hitendra. Already, 23 cases are pending settlement against the periodical
In the meantime, it has also been learnt that apart from live bands, Hitendra was also receiving mamool from the matka lords, illegal liquor traders, those indulging in flesh trade etc. Sources say he used to collect the mamool after threatening the illegal traders in the name of his periodical. Hitendra was married just a year ago to a certain Shobhitha of Puttur.
Hitendra’s pistol missing
Reports now say that two foreign made pistols which were in Hitendra Prasad’s car were missing ever since the murder and as per the court permission, the Crime Investigation Bureau recently searched the residence of Hitendra in vain. However, the police team laid hands on computer equipment, obscene CDs, and some valuable records from his house. Reports say the police team also found a a cash of Rs 20 lakh apart from an insurance policy of Rs 10 lakh inside the cupboard. According to one source, the cash was handed over to Hitendra’s wife, by some of his friends, the very next day of his murder.
The arrested
Those arrested in connection with Hitendra’s murder are : Saleem (25) of Alevoor Manchikere, Mimmi alias Dinesh (28) of Indiranagar, Manikanta (23) of Kunjibettu Karamballi, and Ramesh (28) of Kolalagiri.They were arersted at the Indrali railway station when they were waiting for the train to flee to Mumbai. The prime accused Pitti Nagesh was arrested at Alevoor in Udupi later.
Pitti Nagesh has been produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody upto September 7. He is said to have divulged to the police that he finished off Hitendra as he (Hitendra) had attempted to kill him.
In the meantime police have decided to subject Nagesh to a lie detector test.
Interestingly, this very Nagesh was one time a right hand of Hitendra and was so close to him that he had personally distributed the invitation cards for Hitendra’s wedding and was in-charge of Hitendra’s security during the latter’s wedding. As is the unique tradition in the underworld, one time friends turn foes and even the killers of the other as in Hitendra’s case.
Hitendra who made good use of Pitti Nagesh at one time, later on turned up against him, when he backed Vinod Shettigar who was dead against Nagesh, with Shettigar and Nagesh’s gang also involving in frequent tussles. In fact, Shettigar was the killer of Manohar Master of Kukkikatte and had even seen to it that he was not fixed in any case. Nagesh who came to the conclusion that Shettigar would soon finish him with Hitendra’s backing, decided to eliminate Hitendra himself for his survival and was waiting for the right time along with his accomplices since some time. On that fateful night , when Hitendra had been to the Manipal live band to demand hafta and when an altercation followed between the live band owner and Hitendra, Pitti Nagesh and others got the chance to finish him off, thus bringing an end to the life of a notorious rowdy who was a bane on the society.