Udupi: Gang assaults youth, his friends with swords

Udupi: A gang allegedly launched an assault on a youth working at a salon at Puttur in Udupi after asking to meet him in person for a discussion.

On June 15 Charan (18) got a call from Abhi Katapadi asking to meet him near the Biryani Point in Puttur as he needed to discuss something about a person named Shabari.

Charan went to the spot on his friend Sujan’s bike. They were accompanied by their friends Nagaraj, Karthik, and Ranju, who followed on another scooter. They proceeded a bit further to a place near a roadside shop.

Abhi Katapadi along with Praveen, Deshraj, Shabari, and two other unidentified individuals were waiting for him at the spot with swords in hand. The gang assaulted Charan and his friends arrived with the intention to kill.

Charan and his friends abandoned their vehicles and managed to escape the scene even as the attackers threw beer bottles at them.

Later that night, around 10 PM, they returned to the spot to retrieve their abandoned bike and scooter, only to find that the attackers had damaged the vehicles, causing a loss of Rs 25,000. They also pushed Sujan’s scooter down.

As per the police complaint lodged by Charan, the attack was instigated by an old grudge held by Praveen and others, under the pretext that Charan had insulted Shabari. A case has been registered, and the investigation is ongoing.