Mangalore, April 26: “Kabeer tried to attack the ANF personnel with stones had made the ANF commandos fire at him resulting in his death,” said Pramod Poojary, the driver of the pick-up vehicle transporting cattle.
Pramod narrated the story in front of media persons saying that, Kabeer began to shout and hurl stones at the ANF men, this made them open fire at him. He confessed that, he was a driver to the cattle transportation vehicle, along with Kabeer and Badruddin of Jokatte in the past, he had stopped doing so two and a half years ago after his marriage. But, Rafique had called him on April 18 asking to accompany them as driver to their Xylo vehicle. When they reached Hosur the next day, a pick-up vehicle with over 20 cattle was kept ready and was asked to drive the vehicle, he added.
Continuing the story he said that, they crossed the Agumbe-Hosur check-post after paying the usual Rs 2500 to the cops there, when they reached the next check-post at Tanikodu, they were surprised to see ANF men instead of the usual cops. Rafique escaped as soon as he saw them, Pramod along with Sarfaraz and another person too fled. Kabeer who was in the vehicle, on seeing the ANF men came out, began to shout and picked up a stone to hurl at ANF men, they suspected him to be a Naxal and fired at him.
Pramod gives a twist to the story by saying that, MLA Moidin Bava summoned him and asked him to say that the firing was done at point blank range. “Bava forcibly made me appear before the media earlier. Now I am receiving threat calls after all this happened,” Pramod added.
