Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Oct 24: Mangaluru City police commissioner Sudhir Reddy has issued a strong warning to individuals who associate with people already involved in criminal activities, cautioning that they too could face police action or found mingling with criminals..
“We have already warned those who have no cases against them not to move around with persons facing criminal charges. It appears that warning has not been taken seriously,” Commissioner Reddy said in a video message to the public.
“From now on, even those found associating with known offenders will face trouble. If you say, ‘We will do what we want,’ that is fine — you do what you wish, and we will do what we must,” he warned firmly.
The commissioner’s statement follows a recent complaint involving Prashanth alias Pachchu, a close associate of the recently murdered Suhas Shetty, who has multiple criminal cases against him.
According to reports, Prashanth and another accused, Harshit, allegedly visited a fireworks shop in Bajpe on October 22, threatened the staff, and demanded fireworks without paying. “You must respectfully give the fireworks without asking for money,” Prashanth allegedly told the shopkeepers.
Frightened by the incident, the shop staff initially refrained from lodging a complaint but approached the police later that night after being reassured. Based on their statement, a case of extortion has been registered against Prashanth and Ashwith.
Police confirmed that while Ashwith had no prior criminal record, Prashanth is already accused in several cases, including one murder and six attempted murder offences.
Reiterating his earlier warning, commissioner Reddy said, “We have repeatedly told those not involved in any cases to stay away from criminals. We are saying it again — if you still think what you are doing is right, remember, we will do what is right from our side.”