The Mangaluru city police have arrested two persons accused of participating in a communal riot 26 years ago.
The accused have been identified as Chandrahass Keshav Shetty, 59, and Leeladhar, 52. Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH, Police Commissioner, Mangaluru city, announced the arrest of the two accused on Wednesday.
According to the police, a riot had broken out at Haleyangadi within Mulki police limits on December 31, 1998. The police had then registered a case under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Among multiple accused, Leeladhar and Shetty had evaded arrest, prompting investigators to file a chargesheet noting their disappearance. The court subsequently declared it a long-pending case (LPC).
Recently, the police received intelligence that Leeladhar had returned from abroad and was residing in a rented accommodation at Parkikere village. The Mulki police then arrested him and secured his judicial custody.
Similarly, Chandrahass Keshav Shetty, who had fled to Dubai, was arrested at Mumbai airport on August 30 and is also currently in judicial custody.
The police have also booked them under sections 208 (Non-attendance in obedience to an order from a public servant) and 209 (non-appearance in response to a proclamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).