Henchman of gangster Ravi Pujari's killed in encounter in Bangalore

A henchman of gangster Ravi Pujari was shot dead in an alleged police encounter at Horamavu in Bangalore when he was fleeing after opening fire at a prominent builder's office in a residential complex.

The deceased was identified as Chandu alias Drum (25-35), police said.

They said Chandu and his associate barged into the Mantri Builders office at Vittal Mallya road to extort money after the builder apparently failed to respond to their calls.

Not finding him inside, they questioned security guards who said he was not there as it was a weekend and asked them to come back on Monday.

Before fleeing, the gang fired three rounds at the guards, of which one bullet hit the building's name board and another the window panes of a house. None of the guards were injured in the incident, the police said

On being informed, a police squad intercepted the gang and opened fire, killing Chandu on the spot.

His associate returned fire, injuring an inspector, before escaping under cover of darkness. A hunt is on to nab him, they said.

Police said the inspector sustained minor injuries as he was wearing a bulletproof jacket and is recovering.

The gang left behind an envelope with a message to contact Ravi Pujari on an international cellphone number, they said.

Meanwhile, city police commissioner Shankar Bidari has asked businessmen not to harbour any fears regarding their safety and assured them that stringent action will be taken against such gangsters.

"We have received 14 similar complaints about Ravi Pujari and his gang in the last two years and are seeking Interpol's assistance to nab him, he said.