Saudi bizman Shetty murder: Will Udupi BJP chief defend notorious trio?

[email protected] (CD Network)
August 10, 2016

Udupi, Aug 10: A day after a prominent Bunts organisation slammed him for reportedly deciding to represent the three accused in Saudi businessman Bhaskar Shetty murder case, BJP leader and advocate Mattar Ratnakar Hegde on Wednesday said that he was yet to take a decision on the matter.

udupimurder1

Rajeshwari, Navneet and Niranjan Bhat

Mr Hegde, who is the president of Udupi district committee of the saffron party, hesitated to respond to media persons' question whether he had already taken up the case on behalf Shetty's wife Rajeshwari, son Navneeth Shetty and astrologer Niranjan Bhat, the three prime accused.

“This is BJP office. Not a right place to talk about a case which has nothing to do with the party,” said Mr Hegde, when media persons continued ask questions regarding Bhaskar Shetty murder during a press meet at the party office, here.

rathnakar
Later he said that Shetty's family is his client since 25 years. The deceased had made a few attempts to contact him before the tragedy, Hegde said.

He added that the bail application in favour of the accused is yet to be moved and once it is done, the accused counsel's name would be made public. The advocate said that he would not prefer to comment as the matter is sub-judice.

The rumours spreading against him in social networking sites are tackled through the messages, he said, adding that he would prefer to remain silent and everything will be revealed in the course of time.

It is worth mentioning here that a meeting organised by the Udupi Taluk unit of Buntara Sangha on Tuesday had resolved to urge advocate Hegde, who is also from Bunt community to give up the case of the accused. A large number of members of the Bunts community had attended the meeting held at the Ammanni Ramanna Shetty Hall complex, here.

More people involved?

Indrali Jayakar Shetty, president of the Udupi Taluk Bunts Samaj, meanwhile said that the murder case, which was taking a new turn daily, was a well-thought conspiracy. It was not possible for just a mother and son to kill a person weighing about 90 kilograms.

He said that according to some media reports, after Bhaskar Shetty was bludgeoned to death at his house at Hayagreeva Nagar here on July 28, the body was taken in the boot of a car by the mother-son team to Nandalike village, where it was burnt in the Yagna Kund room in a house belonging to archak Niranjan Bhat. The ashes were later dispersed in a nearby rivulet. This showed that it was a planned act.

If Ms. Gulabi Shetty had not lodged a complaint, the case would have been closed. The way the case was being handled left a lot to be desired and the accused were being given “royal treatment”.

The conspiracy should be unravelled and the guilty punished so that Ms. Gulabi Shetty, who was shocked at her son's death, got some solace, he said.

Background

Bhaskar Shetty went missing on July 28. His mother Gulabi Shetty lodged a missing complaint at the Manipal Police Station on July 29. Shetty had strained relations with his wife Rajeshwari (46) and son Navneet (20) over property issues.

Things took a dramatic turn, when Bhaskar Shetty's relative Joggu Shetty said that he suspected Rajeshwari, Navneet and Niranjan to be involved in Bhaskar Shetty's murder.

The police arrested Rajeshwari and Navneet on the charge of murdering Bhaskar Shetty and trying to destroy evidence. Bhat, who was close to Rajeshwari and Navneet, was also arrested later.

Also Read:

Saudi bizman murder: Bhat swallows diamond ring to avoid arrest

Saudi bizman Bhaskar Shetty murdered by wife, son in Udupi with priest's help

Days after assault by wife and son, Udupi hotelier Bhaskar Shetty goes missing

 

Comments

Chandrashekar Shetty
 - 
Thursday, 11 Aug 2016

Mattar Rathnakar Hegde is responsible person from BJP and Bunt community.
Both wife and son of Mr. Bhaskar Shetty confessed the crime. Hence, on moral ground he should refuse to take this case. We respect Hegde for if he does so.

Mohammed Iqbal
 - 
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2016

Adv M R Shetty has all the right to take up the case. It is part of his profession.

Nidar Shetty
 - 
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2016

Headline is sensationalised to malign BJP. No media gave headline that Indian Muslim defends Ajmal Kasab when advocated \Ajmal\" Kazmi took up the Mumbai terror attack case."

Advt Hanume Gowda
 - 
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2016

Targeting a lawyer just because he took up a case is a dangerous development. Does Indian law deny opportunity for the accused to prove their innocence? Besides nothing is confirmed yet here. The case is built on mere allegations and suspicions.

Fayaz
 - 
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2016

Veren langotty came.

Mohammed
 - 
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2016

kid, how could u do this that too to your own father?

Rikaz
 - 
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2016

Whoever involved in his murder should be punished severely and show no mercy at all.....they should suffer for it....

Karan
 - 
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2016

criminals must be punished.

Mahesh
 - 
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2016

without pre-plan these people cant execute such big crime so easily.

Viren Kotian
 - 
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2016

Again it's proved. CD does not miss any chance to indict BJP directly or indirectly. #presstitues

BJ
 - 
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2016

The true face of BJP's hindutva unveiled again. they protest if a criminal was murdered by a muslims and defend the killers if they were hindus.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Puttur: The long-cherished dream of a government medical college in Puttur has moved a decisive step closer to reality, with the Karnataka State Finance Department granting its official approval for the construction of a new 300-bed hospital.

Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai announced the crucial development to reporters on Monday, confirming that the official communication from the finance department was issued on November 27. This 300-bed facility is intended to be the cornerstone for the establishment of the government medical college, a project announced in the state budget.

Fast-Track Implementation

The MLA outlined an aggressive timeline for the project:

•    A Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the hospital is expected to be ready within 45 days.

•    The tender process for the construction will be completed within two months.

Following the completion of the tender process, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the project.

"Setting up a medical college in Puttur is a historical decision by the Congress government in Karnataka," Rai stated. The project has an estimated budget allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for the medical college.

Focus on Medical Education Department

The MLA highlighted a key strategic move: requesting the government to implement the hospital construction through the Medical Education Department instead of the Health and Family Welfare Department. This is intended to streamline the entire process of establishing the full medical college, ensuring the facilities—including labs, operation theatres, and other necessary infrastructure—adhere to the strict guidelines set by the Medical Council of India (MCI). The proposed site for the project is in Bannur.

Rai also took the opportunity to address political criticism, stating that the government has fulfilled its promise despite "apprehensions" and "mocking and criticising" from opposition parties who had failed to take similar initiatives when they were in power. "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has kept his word," he added.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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