Mangaluru prison attack: Different groups killed prisoners

MANGALURU: Though the police have concluded that murder of Madoor Yusuf (Isbu) inside the district prison was a well planned act, they are still unclear about the killing of Ganesh Shetty as they now feel that different groups murdered the duo. The murder weapons used for the crime are yet to be recovered.

Two underworld elements Madoor Yusuf and Ganesh Shetty were murdered in Mangaluru district prison on Monday morning. Initially it was believed that five men of Akashbhavan Sharan an aide of Vicky Shetty had murdered Yusuf and Shetty. But police sources say that the two were murdered by different groups.

It is said that soon after Yusuf was murdered by the five, few people barged into the cell of Ganesh Shetty (next to Yusuf’s) by removing roof tiles and killed him, sources added.

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“The murder of Yusuf was well planned. There were about 40 stab marks on his body. But Ganesh has no stab marks and blunt weapon must have been used to kill him. We are investigating into the details about the killing of Ganesh,” ADGP (Law and Order) Alok Mohan told reporters when asked if both were murdered by the same group. He said that though one case was filed, the police would take necessary action based on the results of investigation.

“Yusuf was having a walk outside his cell on Monday morning when he was killed. Five people have been booked and more arrests are likely,” Alok Mohan said adding that officials were investigating about the role of outsiders in the incident and also about plotting the crime.

The ADGP, who inspected the prison, suspected that the weapons might have come from outside the jail and conceded that the police officials are yet to recover the weapons.

Read | Prison attack not communal: Mangaluru Police Commissioner

“The weapons must have come from outside. There is a tree near the wall outside the jail which could have been used. The weapons used for murder are yet to be recovered. They might have been thrown the weapons out of the jail after the incident or hidden somewhere or put into the drainage. We are looking for it and metal detectors too are being used to find the weapons,” he said. ADGP (Prisons) Kamal Pant, who too visited the jail, declared that if any personnel or officer was found to have been involved in the incident, they too will be booked for murder.

Only 9 officials to guard 400 prisoners

The district prison has over 400 inmates, which is almost double its capacity, and is also facing acute staff shortage. The prison has about 27 personnel who work in three shifts and thus on an average there are about 9 personnel to monitor 400 prisoners! However the effective strength on duty is always less due to various reasons.

In order to beef up prison security, Karnataka State Industrial Security Force (KSISF) personnel will be deployed within a fortnight. ADGP (Prisons) Kamal Pant said that about 40 men from KSISF would be deployed for peripheral security.

He admitted that the prisons department was facing staff shortage and added that recruitment process was underway. “Physical test of the candidates are to be held after the completion of written test,” he said.

Prison staff involved?

A jail inmate Faizal who spoke to reporters while being taken to court, alleged involvement of prison staff in the incident and also named him. “The particular staff had brought weapons inside the prison on Sunday night around 11.30 pm wrapped in a blue cover. The same weapon was used for murder,” he alleged. He also stated that the cells of the assailants were opened first which helped them kill Yusuf.

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