Police arrest 6 sharpshooters in Belagavi

Belagavi, Feb 2: Six professional sharpshooters who had arrived in the city with a plan to attack VIPs and for contract killings were nabbed by the city police on Wednesday.

The suspects were staying at Rex Annexe lodge near the central bus stand. Five pistols, guns, more than 50 live bullets, SIM cards and other items were recovered from them.

Two of them were arrested in the lodge located opposite the market police station, following a tip-off. Three suspects were apprehended near the district hospital, while another one who escaped was arrested near the airport. Those arrested are said to be natives of Mangaluru, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The sharpshooters had arrived in the city on Tuesday evening in two vehicles bearing Maharashtra registration numbers. They had booked two rooms in the name of Anup Gowda from Bengaluru.

The arrested were first taken to the APMC police station. They were later shifted to an undisclosed location for questioning. The police have beefed up security at the residences of judges and elected representatives in the district, following the arrests.