Bengaluru: The Karnataka Police on Friday conducted search operations at multiple properties linked to A G Ajeeth Kumar, a former gangster-turned-businessman, advocate, and film producer, in connection with the July 15 murder of realtor V G Shivaprakash alias Bikla Shiva. The case, which has drawn political attention due to the involvement of a BJP MLA, is being probed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
CID searches linked to murder conspiracy
According to sources, the searches were carried out under search warrants obtained from a special court in Bengaluru earlier this week. Kumar, 45, who was once listed as a rowdy at Ramamurthy Nagar police station between 2010 and 2016, was removed from the list following a High Court order. He was infamously known as ‘Malayali Ajeeth’ during his gangster years.
Now the chairman of real estate firm V Group, Kumar has reinvented himself as an advocate and film producer, bankrolling the 2022 Kannada movie Ravi Bopanna. However, investigators believe his links with former gangster Jagadish P alias Jaga, 43, the prime accused in Shiva’s murder, may point to a deeper conspiracy.
Links to MLA and real estate network
Both Jaga and Kumar are known associates of Byrathi Basavaraj, BJP MLA from the K R Pura constituency, where Shiva’s murder occurred. Basavaraj is among the five accused named in the FIR.
CID officials are probing whether Jaga’s gang functioned as a front for the real estate business of associates including Basavaraj, offering finance, muscle, and protection in property disputes. Kumar’s presence alongside Jaga at film launch events and his role as Jaga’s legal counsel since August have further strengthened investigators’ suspicions.
Arrests and extradition of prime accused
Jaga was arrested on August 24 in Delhi after being deported from Bangkok following an Interpol Blue Corner Notice request by CID. He had allegedly fled Bengaluru after Shiva’s killing via Chennai and Dubai.
So far, 16 people have been arrested, whom prosecutors described as Jaga’s “proxies” in executing the murder. The CID recently completed the custody of four key accused—Kiran K, Vimal Raj, Samuel Victor and Auto Shiva—and secured custody of four more suspects, including two men from Kolar allegedly hired to carry out the attack.
KCOCA invoked in the case
Given the organised nature of the crime, CID has invoked the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA), 2000 against the accused. Under the law, once two members of a syndicate are found to have multiple charge sheets, all associates, including financiers and logistical supporters, can also be prosecuted.
With a sitting MLA among the accused, the matter has been placed before the special court for elected representatives rather than the special KCOCA court. The prosecution has indicated that confessions recorded before senior police officers will be admissible as evidence under the stringent law.
A high-profile case with political fallout
The murder of Bikla Shiva on a busy Bengaluru street has thrown a spotlight on the intersection of crime, politics, and real estate mafias in the city. With the CID widening its net to include businessmen, politicians, and film industry figures, the case is expected to have far-reaching legal and political consequences in the coming months.