Prisoners Charged Under KCOCA for Extortion Inside Jail

In a crackdown on organized crime within the prison system, the Mangaluru City police have booked four undertrial prisoners under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA). The accused, identified as Dhanush Bhandary, Dilesh Bangera, Loy Vegas, and Sachin Talapadi, were charged for their alleged involvement in a case of extortion against a fellow inmate.

According to the police commissioner, Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH, the four prisoners assaulted another undertrial and extorted Rs 20,000 (approximately $20,000) from him. The victim was forced to transfer the money to accounts provided by the accused. The commissioner stated that the accused already had more than one case pending against them in court, with the charges attracting a minimum punishment of three years.

The KCOCA charges, however, carry a much harsher penalty, with a minimum sentence of five years that can extend to life imprisonment. If the extortion leads to the death of the victim, the punishment could be either life imprisonment or even the death penalty. The case will be investigated by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) as mandated by the KCOCA Act, with ACP North Srikanth appointed as the investigator.

This incident comes after an earlier complaint filed by an undertrial prisoner, Mithun, who alleged that the four accused had assaulted him and demanded Rs 50,000 (around $500) on July 9th. Fearing for his life, Mithun had arranged for Rs 20,000 to be transferred to the accused before reporting the incident to the jail authorities.