CID files chargesheet in rowdy sheeter murder case, 18 accused named barring BJP MLA

Bengaluru, Dec 23 (PTI) The SIT of the Karnataka CID has filed a chargesheet in the rowdy sheeter Biklu Shiva murder case, naming 18 accused in the case, barring BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj, who had been named in the FIR as an accused.

The chargesheet submitted in a city court here on Monday pertains to the July 15 killing of V G Shivaprakash alias Biklu Shiva (40) and comes days after the Karnataka High Court set aside the invocation of the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA) in the matter.

Shiva was hacked to death by armed assailants at Bharathi Nagar in the city in July this year. Investigators said the murder was triggered by a long-simmering property dispute dating back to February 2025, involving rival claimants to land in the Kithaganur area.

The FIR in the case had named BJP MLA Basavaraj as accused number five, while gangster Jagadish Padmanabha alias Jaga, 45, was listed as the prime accused.

Jaga’s alleged associates — Vimal Raj, Kiran Krishna, Madan K and Pradeep K — were also listed as accused. However, the MLA has not been named in the chargesheet, with the SIT stating that further investigation against him is still underway.

On July 16, a day after the murder, five men — Kiran Krishna, Pradeep, Vimal Raj, Madan K and Samuel Victor — surrendered before the police, claiming to have taken part in the crime. The probe was subsequently transferred to the CID’s SIT in view of the seriousness of the allegations.

According to the police, the conspiracy took shape after a property claimant Ravi alleged that Shiva had illegally built a compound wall around four sites and had abused Jagadish alias Jaga, a local gangster said to be closely associated with the MLA.

Investigators claimed repeated confrontations between the two sides led to the murder.

Jaga had allegedly fled the country soon after the murder but was later traced to Jakarta and detained through an Interpol Blue Notice. He was brought back to India and arrested on August 26, while the SIT continues to pursue leads against the remaining suspects. PTI COR AMP ADB