Two senior Mangaluru police officers investigating the death of VG Siddhartha Hegde, the chairperson and managing director of Coffee Day Enterprises, were among 11 Indian Police Service officers, who were transferred on Thursday, PTI reported.
Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sandeep Patil and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Hanumantharaya were transferred with immediate effect.
Patil has been posted as the deputy inspector general and joint commissioner, crime, in Bengaluru, and Hanumantharaya has been posted as superintendent of police in Davanagere.
A Subramanyeshwara Rao, who was deputy inspector general, intelligence, in Bengaluru, will succeed Patil.
Siddhartha Hegde had gone missing on Monday evening. His body was found on the banks of the Netravati river, near Hoige Bazaar in Mangaluru, on Wednesday morning. He was the son-in-law of Bharatiya Janata Party leader SM Krishna.
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday held a meeting with top police officials, including Director General and Inspector General of Police Neelamani N Raju, PTI reported. Yediyurappa took oath as the chief minister for the fourth time on July 26. In his previous two-day stint in May 2018, he reportedly affected three transfers in the state’s IPS ranks within hours of taking oath.
The chief of the Special Investigation Team probing the multi-crore IMA scam, BR Ravikanthe Gowda, has also been transferred, but without any posting, The NewsMinute reported.
Other changes include Amar Kumar Pandey, previously additional director general of police, Karnataka State Human Rights Commission, has now been posted as the Additional Director General of Police, law and order. Kamal Pant is the new chief of State Intelligence, replacing B Dayanand, who will now be posted as the chief of the State Reserve Police.
VG Siddhartha’s postmortem report
The officials in Wenlock hospital, where Hegde’s body was sent for postmortem, are yet to issue a report, Mint reported on Thursday. After the report is submitted, the police will begin an investigation into the unnatural death of the businessman.
The delay in issuing the report has surprised many. The post mortem report will end much of the speculation over the cause of death and the circumstances of his death.
“...The samples taken from his body are undergoing chemical analysis in multiple facilities in the state and the report will not be complete without inputs from those laboratories,” Rajeshwari, medical officer of Wenlock hospital told Mint. “It is too early to say anything.”
Before his transfer, reports said Patil had held discussions with police officers on Hegde’s case for three hours.
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