Ramanagara: Muthappa Rai's second wife, Anuradha Rai, has reportedly fled the country following a shooting attack on his son, Rikki Rai. She is the second accused in the case. A complaint was filed against her at the Bidadi police station by Rikki Rai's driver, Basavaraju, in connection with the incident. Police visited Anuradha Rai’s residence in Kodigehalli, Bengaluru, to serve her a notice based on her SIM card address.
However, they discovered that she had sold the house to a person from the United States and left for the US on April 14. Her mobile phone’s last known location was at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. These actions have raised strong suspicions about her involvement.
A case has been registered at the Bidadi police station against four individuals, including Anuradha Rai. Based on the complaint by Rikki Rai’s driver, G. Basavaraju, the accused include Rakesh Malli (a close associate of Muthappa Rai), Anuradha Rai, Nitesh Shetty (owner of Nitesh Estates), Vaidyanathan, and their associates.
Rikki Rai resides in properties located in Sadashivanagar and Kariyappanadoddi in Bengaluru. According to Basavaraju, on Friday, they left the Sadashivanagar house around 6 PM and reached the Kariyappanadoddi house around 7 PM. After resting for a while, they prepared to return to Bengaluru around 11 PM. Basavaraju, Rikki Rai, and his bodyguard Rajpal left in a black Fortuner SUV.
Shortly after exiting the compound, they heard a sharp 'tap' sound, which they initially thought might be a tyre issue. They stopped the vehicle to inspect it but found nothing out of the ordinary. Believing everything was fine, they resumed their journey. Upon reaching a railway crossing, Rikki Rai realised he had forgotten his wallet, so they decided to return to the house.
At around 12:50 AM, they departed for Bengaluru again. As they crossed the compound and proceeded a short distance, shots were suddenly fired at them at the very same spot where the 'tap' sound had occurred earlier. One bullet narrowly missed Basavaraju but struck Rikki Rai on the nose and right arm, causing heavy bleeding.
Basavaraju immediately exited the vehicle, opened the door, and saw Rikki Rai’s face covered in blood. Using his shirt to control the bleeding, he, along with Rajpal, rushed Rikki Rai to Bharat Kempanna Hospital in Bidadi for first aid. Following medical advice, they transferred him to Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru via ambulance for further treatment.