Murder plot probe leads police to don in Nepal

Jayanagar police bring back Cycle Ravi and get a glimpse into the murky world of film financing

Police say they have cracked the case relating to a conspiracy to murder Kannada film producer Umapathy and his brother Deepak Gowda.

The brothers produced the Kannada big-budget film ‘Roberrt’, starring Darshan. It was simultaneously released in Kannada and Telugu and will soon be dubbed into Hindi. It was released on March 11, 2021. The investigation took the Bengaluru South division police to distant Nepal, where they arrested Kariya Rajesh.

Bengaluru South division police recently
arrested 37-year-old Kariya Rajesh,
a rowdy sheeter from Bengaluru.
He was holed up in the Nepali city of Pokhara.

Kariya Rajesh is a 37-year-old rowdy sheeter from Bengaluru, and was holed up in the Nepali city of Pokhara.

His arrest from a hotel, police say, has blown the lid off some murky dealings in Kannada film financing.

Kariya Rajesh is a close associate of Bombay Ravi, hatchet man of Rashid Malbari, a sharp-shooter from the Dawood Ibrahim gang, a senior investigator told Metrolife.

In late 2020, police had arrested 11 men allegedly sent by Bombay Ravi to bump off Umapathy and Deepak because he suspected they were funding another rowdy called Cycle Ravi. They have recently arrested two more which takes the number to 13. “Bombay Ravi received a supari from a third party to finish off Deepak and Umapathy. The supari reignited a long-standing enmity between Bombay Ravi and Cycle Ravi, both of whom are wanted in several criminal cases,” the investigator says.

‘Roberrt’, produced by Umapathy and Deepak, did well as a post-lockdown release, but another film made on a high budget didn’t run even for a week, the investigator says.

Shadowy players who can’t reveal the source of their money invest anonymously in film production, and the underworld plays a role in the deals, he says. The police have provided security to Deepak and Umapathy.

Tech challenge

The callers used Wickr Me, a private messaging service, which has its origins in the US. “We will have to take help under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between India and the US to get the relevant information,” explains the officer. Another senior officer, who has investigated some sensational cases, including the Gauri Lankesh murder case, says that gang rivalries and supari killings have come down.

“Supari killers are hired to settle personal scores. In 2016, we had a case in the West division and last year we had one in the Central division,” explains the officer. Gangs are disintegrating with some members shifting to white collar crimes, he says.

“Instead of indulging in assault and extortion, which is profitable but risky, many launch Ponzi schemes and multi-level marketing schemes, where money flow is steadier. This way they trap a lot of gullible people,” observes the officer.

‘A stranger walked into my house…’

Film producer Deepak Gowda had a visitor on December 11, 2020.

“He walked in and handed me a phone and asked me to speak to someone on a video call. The man on the line introduced himself as Bombay Ravi and asked if my brother and I were funding the underworld activities of his rival Cycle Ravi. He claimed Cycle Ravi had invested in our movie ‘Roberrt’. I was taken aback and said I had nothing to do with him,” Deepak told Metrolife. The caller also asked Deepak if he worked closely with the cops to hatch a plan.

A few days later, the Jayanagar police, who had received a tip-off, called Deepak and advised him and his brother Umapathy not to step out of the house because their life was under some sort of threat. While Deepak lives in Banashankari, Umapathy stays in HSR Layout.

Police had just then arrested 11 people carrying weapons and machetes, and collected information about the plot to kill the brothers. “I got another call on January 11, again threatening us. We understood this was their method to extort money. We also realised that we had enemies from within the film industry,” says Deepak. The brothers run multiple businesses and have produced two films: ‘Hebbuli’ and ‘Roberrt’ under the banner of Umapathy Productions. The latter film had an ambitious budget of over Rs 40 crore, and did well on the big screen before it went to OTT. “We came into film production because we are passionate about making films and wish to take the Kannada film industry to a global level. Our films are doing well and our meteoric rise in the industry hasn’t gone down well with a lot of people. Also, this is a rivalry between Bombay Ravi and Cycle Ravi, and they have made us pawns,” adds Umapathy.

Umapathy was on a bike ride with Darshan to Kerala, when he heard of the murder conspiracy. “We are old timers in Bengaluru and our forefathers own large tracts of land. We pay taxes. Why would we need help from the underworld? If I know how to run my business, I also know how to protect it using lawful means,” he told Metrolife.