Arresting acid attack accused was satisfying, says ASI

By Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: The city police have been lauded for cracking the acid attack case by nabbing the accused Nagesh Babu. Assistant Sub-inspector of police, Shivanna, and Constable Ravi Kumar played a key role in his arrest from an Ashram in Tiruvannamalai of Tamil Nadu.

With only five months of service left before his retirement, ASI Shivanna said that this was one of his most satisfying arrests. “It was around 4 pm when we were first alerted about the accused being spotted in the Ashram,” Shivanna told News Trail.

Posters and banners depicting the physical description of the accused and details about the acid attack case in which he was wanted, were pasted across popular religious places. The posters also carried a contact number on which any person with any reliable information about the accused could call.

A source sent a photo of Nagesh to the police team in Bengaluru. Confirming his identity, the city police alerted ASI Shivanna, who fortunately, was just a few metres away from the Ashram in Tiruvannamalai.

ASI Shivanna and Constable Ravi Kumar carefully entered the Ashram and found Nagesh in deep meditation. “We joined him in the prayer and sat next to him. We struck up a conversation by asking his name, but he did not answer,” Shivanna said.

The officers then noticed there was a burn injury on one of his arms which he had allegedly suffered while throwing the acid on the victim.

Nagesh is now being treated at a city hospital after being shot at by the police while he attempted to flee by attacking a police constable while he was being brought to Bengaluru.