The firing incident in Vijayapura claimed another life on Tuesday. Lakshman Khogaon, 25, driver of Mahadev Bhairagonda, rowdy-sheeter, succumbed to his injuries at the BLDE hospital in Vijayapura. He had received bullet wounds in his stomach.
They had been fired at during an ambush by a rival gang near Kannal Cross on Monday. The other four are responding to treatment.
Doctors conducted surgeries to take out two bullets from Bhairagonda’s body. He is on ventilator support, but is responding to treatment. He is stable now, a senior doctor said.
The victim’s family members told journalists in Vijayapura that they were willing to airlift him to Hyderabad or Mumbai for further treatment if need be.
Officers of the forensic laboratory visited the crime scene to collect samples and evidence. The two vehicles involved in the incident have been removed from the road and kept in the rural police station premises.
Raghavendra Suhas, IGP, Northern Range, visited the hospital and spoke to doctors. He also visited the crime scene on Bhutnal-Chadachan road. He later held a meeting at the district police office.
Mr. Suhas told The Hindu that there were definite clues to the murder. “Obviously, it is a planned attack and not a road rage brawl. We have found machetes and knives on the spot. There is an unexploded petrol bomb. There are some abandoned bikes too. Our officers have collected cartridges and some bullet pieces. We suspect it was a gang of around 15 persons who attacked. Based on these evidences, we have got a fair idea of who they could have been. We have some information that apart from residents of Karnataka and Maharashtra, there were some persons from other States, among the offenders. We have learnt that the attackers also suffered some injuries as the bodyguards of Bhairagonda have also fired in retaliation. We are visiting hospitals in Karnataka and Maharashtra for information about any of the accused being treated there,’’ he said.
He said nearly 1,000 police personnel of Bagalkot and Vijayapura were involved in the investigation. .
