If I didn’t kill him, I would have died: Kapali Anand

If I didn't kill him, I would have died: Kapali Anand

Kapali Anand, the movie financier who lies in Victoria Hospital, reveals to MiD DAY why he hacked his erstwhile driver Poone to death. Two of Anand's men lie in an adjacent ward, with bullet wounds in their knees

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Anand alias Kapali Anand, prime accused in the murder of rowdy-sheeter Poone, desperately wanted to put his life of crime behind him.

He'd had his life charted out: Make movies and live peacefully with his family. But all that changed last week when he and his minions hacked Poone to death in Chamrajpet.

MiD DAY was at Victoria Hospital, where the police have admitted Anand and nine others. The police claim they nabbed the gang near Chamarajpet on Friday, but Anand's men had a different story to tell.

"I can't even face my daughter and son who are studying in first PU. It was a mistake, but I killed to be rid of fear," he told this reporter.

Two of Anand's boys are in an adjoining ward, with bullet wounds in their knees. Police weren't allowing anyone in.

Free from fear

It was close to midnight and anxious policemen were hurrying the doctors up; they had to produce Anand before a magistrate. Anand's requests for water fell on deaf ears. He didn't even have a proper bed.

"I've had enough. I don't want to return to that life, not even in my dreams," he said as he recalled his last crime.

The background

Anand headed a gang in the early 1990s and Poone was his driver. Soon, Poone fell out and formed his own gang indulging in meter baddi (illegal finance to vendors) and real estate.

There would be frequent fights between the two gangs and Poone soon earned the confidence of former Chamrajpet MLA R V Devraj and became powerful.

"Poone tried to kill me in 2003 but I survived. Later, I started financing Kannada movies since I wanted to lead a peaceful life with my family. But Poone was always on the prowl, trying to hunt me down and used to beat, harass and humiliate my boys frequently," Anand said.

Anand recalled how he tried to arrive at a compromise with Poone. "I approached many people including senior police officers and Devraj, but in vain."

"Driver Sridhar told me his boss Poone was planning to attack me during the elections. Poone owed Sridhar money but refused to pay him back. Enraged, Sridhar wanted to eliminate Poone and sought my help. I decided to eliminate him instead and be free from the fear once and for all," Anand said.

It doesn't add up

The police version of what happened and how is not the same as that of the accused. Here are some discrepancies:

According to CCB, they caught the gang while they were moving suspiciously near Deer Park in Chamrajpet. But the 10 suspects who came to Victoria Hospital late on Saturday night under tight police security for treatment said they were caught by the police near a dhaba on Nelamangala Road.

Police say they used 'minimum force' to nab the accused.

However, the 10 accused who were brought to Victoria Hospital for treatment could not even stand. Their hands and legs were swollen and they writhed in pain even when putting their thumb impressions on the medical records.

The bandage around 20-year-old Sethu's hand was soaked with blood.

On the other hand, police said the accused had attacked constable Vijay Kumar with swords while trying to escape. But the medical records show that Vijay Kumar had only a swollen left elbow.