Jeweller accused of misusing gun license

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Nov 23: A Govinda Prabhu, a BJP member of the municipality, lodged a complaint at the Bantwal Police Station that Suresh Baaliga, a gold merchant, verbally abused him before firing at him thrice with his revolver.

Sources state that Suresh and his brother Nagendra Baaliga were involved in a heated dispute over the issue of a building in Bantwal with a local entrepreneur. A special meeting was also organized at the municipality in order to discuss this issue. This led to a quarrel between Prabhu and Nagendra. Someone carried the news to Suresh, who rushed to the spot, verbally abused Prabhu, fired at him, and fled from the scene. Suresh, however, narrowly missed hitting Prabhu. 

Later, Suresh filed a counter case against Prabhu at the Bantwal Police Station that the BJP member verbally abused him and threatened to kill him. In his complaint, he even stated that Prabhu carried a weapon with which he intended to kill him. 

Suresh Baaliga claims that he got a license to carry a gun because he had received life-threatening calls from Madooru Isabu, an underworld don who had tried to extort a sum of Rs 2 crores from him. But reportedly, Suresh has been misusing his gun license for a long time. 

IGP Gopal Hosur said that Suresh will have to lose his license. Mr. Hosur even said that the police had provided a gunman to protect him because his life was under threat; however, the facility will now be withdrawn.