Group of African nationals arrested for attacking cops

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The city police on Friday arrested eight African nationals for allegedly assaulting a team of Central Crime Branch (CCB), Bengaluru, who were in the process of arresting one of them for drug peddling here.

The incident is said to have taken place near Rajanakunte on the outskirts of the city on Thursday night. A total of four police personnel sustained minor injuries and are being treated at a private hospital in Bengaluru.

The injured have been identified as police inspector Subramanya Swamy, head constables Shashidhar R and Rajeev SB, and a driver Siddoji Rao.

The Rajanakunte police had registered a case against six African nationals involved and have so far arrested eight people in connection with the attack.

It was learnt that sleuths from the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the CCB, Bengaluru, had arrested an African national from Bagalagunte on April 6 and recovered 4 kg of MDMA crystals from his house worth Rs 4 crore.

The accused was allegedly buying MDMA crystals from his contacts in his home country, getting it delivered here concealed in couriers, and selling it for Rs 8,000 - Rs 10,000 per gram to his contacts in the city.

Probing the case, a team of four CCB officials led by Subramanya Swamy, the Investigation Officer in the case, went to Mavallipura to apprehend an associate of the person they arrested on April 6.

In his complaint to Rajanakunte police, Swamy said they had followed a lead and went near a restaurant at Singanayakanahalli where a suspect was having dinner.

"We followed the suspect, who went to a house in Mavallipura. Once he went in, we tried to apprehend the suspect and search the house. There were two people inside, including the suspect. They pushed and assaulted us and resisted our efforts even after we showed our ID cards. One of them called his associates and soon, a group of four people joined and started attacking us with stones, sticks, and a dagger shouting threatening to kill us," he said.

The police soon retreated and came to the main road. Meanwhile, they had called for backup and a Hoysala vehicle arrived.

"The group attacked the Hoysala vehicle as well with stones and vandalised it. The Hoysala personnel rescued us from the group and took us to a private hospital," Swamy said in his complaint.

"As the police teams withdrew from the scene, the gang of African nationals fled into the village. The house is owned by a Bihar native, who gave it on rent to two African nationals without document verification three months ago,"Superintendent of Police (SP) Bengaluru Rural Mallikarjun Baladandi, said confirming the arrest of the accused.