Mangaluru: On November 11, 2013, at 2.00 am, Chinni Ramesh alias Ramesh alias Shivakumar, who is involved in Maoist organisations along with Vikram Gowda, Savitri, Sundari, Vijay, Jayanna and others entered and knocked on the door of complainant Ramachandra Bhat at Kukkuje Cross in Kutlur Village of Belthangady Taluk and called him outside. When he did not come out of the house, they set fire to a KA-18 V 5816 motorcycle and a KA-21 N Maruti Omni parked in the courtyard of his house, thereby causing a loss of about Rs. 2,69,555 to the complainant.
The accused were booked under UAPA – Sections 10 (B), and 13 Indian Arms Act section 3, 25, IPC Section 143, 147, 148, 447, 435, 427 with 149.
Bantwal Deputy Superintendent of Police Ravish, who had conducted the initial investigation, had submitted the final report to the court on January 17, 2017 considering it as an undetectable type as there was little possibility of tracing the accused. Subsequently, Annamalai, a sitting politician who was the Udupi Superintendent of Police took Chinni Ramesh, who was arrested in another case in Bengaluru and identified him as the accused in the case and ordered a re-investigation into the case.
DySP Ravish, who initiated the investigation arrested the accused Chinni Ramesh and produced him before the court and prepared the chargesheet on July 12 2017.
The District Court, which started the trial, examined nine witnesses out of the total 22 witnesses in the chargesheet. Five of them were eyewitnesses. During 2013, the Government used to evict forest dwellers in Kutlur area. At this time, the complainant, Ramachandra Bhat, was working to evict the residents of forest. It was alleged that the naxals had committed the crime.
On Tuesday October 11 the court announced the final verdict and acquitted the accused Chinni Ramesh. Chinni Ramesh is currently in a Bengaluru jail with four cases pending against him in Chikkamagaluru. Complainant Ramachandra Bhat, his wife and other witnesses had testified on behalf of the prosecution.
