Bengaluru Techie May Get Lifer with Murder, Extortion, Fraud and 6 Other Charges

Bengaluru-based techie Gokul MG, who was arrested for sending bomb threats to Delhi and Bengaluru airports last week, has been remanded to police custody till 21 September.

Gokul, who hails from Thrissur, Kerala, could face a lifetime in jail as he has been slapped with several charges including murder of his wife under IPC Section 302 (death or life term) and destruction of evidence under IPC section 201 (10 years in jail).

The 33-year-old has confessed to murdering his wife Anuradha in June. He made it appear as an accidental death. The Madiwala police will take him to his Fernhill Gardens apartment at HSR Layout to recover the murder weapon — a Ganesha idol — and recreate the crime scene.

Gokul had told police that he murdered his wife after he came to know about her relationship with her student, and in order to get closer to his ex-girlfriend and neighbour Saju Jose's wife, Dhanya Babu.

 Gokul had shifted from New Delhi to Bengaluru with an aim to marry Dhanya. For this, he plotted to frame her husband with terrorism charges, for which he made the hoax bomb threats.

Using a SIM card registered in the name of Jose, Gokul made calls to Kempegowda International Airport and the Delhi Airport warning about bombs on international flights.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has charged him with Section 3(1)(d) of The Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation (SUASCA) Act 1982 for the hoax call for which he could face lifetime imprisonment. He was also charged with IPC Sections 505 (causing public mischief, three years), 506 (criminal intimidation, two-seven years) and 507 (anonymous threat, two years).

Gokul had allegedly planted a Muslim skull cap, prayer beads and a dagger in Jose's apartment to make Dhanya believe that her husband was into Islamic terrorism. He also reportedly posed as an Isis militant and issued a death threat to Jose, reported Quint.com. He made contacts with Dhanya in the guise of a Christian bishop and prompted her to seek divorce. For this, he was charged under IPC Section 419 (cheating by personation, three years).

Gokul was also charged with IPC section 177 (furnishing false information, 6 months) for obtaining a SIM card using Jose's ID.

Earlier on Friday, he made another call to a Delhi-based telecom baron demanding Rs 10 crore, claiming he was raising funds for the Islamic State. For this, he was slapped with IPC Section 385 (Putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion, two years).