Representative image showing a jail cell
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: In a dramatic showdown, the Dobbspet police chased down a notorious rowdy-sheeter by opening fire in the northern outskirts of Bengaluru on Saturday.
The accused, Jayanth Chikkarevanna alias Battery Jayanth, 26, is involved in at least 55 criminal cases and has had 18 warrants against him in different courts in Karnataka. He is infamous for waylaying vehicles on highways in the night and robbing them, especially truck drivers.
On Saturday, around 6:30 pm, the police went to arrest Jayanth after tracing his location to Shivagange on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
Jayanth allegedly fled the location after spraying pepper spray on police officer Imran Khan, who had approached the rowdy and asked him to surrender.
The team, led by Dobbspet Inspector Raju, chased down and surrounded Jayanth who was not ready to give up. He brandished a dagger and attempted to flee again, inflicting injury on the police staff. The inspector fired in the air as a warning, but Jayanth didn’t give up, prompting the inspector to open fire at him.
The bullet pierced Jayanth's right leg and incapacitated him. He was shifted to a nearby hospital and currently is out of danger.
CK Baba, Superintendent of Police (SP), said the accused was a habitual offender, most wanted by the Bengaluru Rural police.
"He has his roots in six different districts and has been involved in crimes since 2015. Hence, we had formed a special team to trace him,” Baba told DH.
Apart from extortion, Jayanth had trained many youths in robbery in six different districts over the last five years. When he went to different districts to rob people, he used to rope in these trained youths for help.
After waylaying vehicles, he assaulted the drivers with weapons and robbed them. Over the last nine years, he has had cases in multiple stations in Bengaluru Rural district, Mandya, Ramanagar, Bengaluru city, Tumakuru, and Kanakapura registered against him.