The important cases detected with this arrest are the murder of ANZ Grindlays bank official Suparna, that took place on February 19 this year and serial attacks on lonely women in Tumkur recently, police said.

The duo, Shyam alias Raju Reddy alias Daniel and Ravi alias Manoj of Hoskote, are responsible for two murders in Bangalore, eight in Kolar district, nine in Bangalore rural districts, two in Tumkur district, three in Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu and one in Mysore. The robbery victims also were brutally assaulted by the two, police said.

The duo used a stolen motorcycle, a motorcycle crash guard rod, stones, and soft drink bottles. They normally selected pedestrians on a lonely place, followed them and assaulted them with the rod, bottle, or stones. They would take away whatever was available with the victims. Following complaints of brutal assaults and robberyfrom various districts around Bangalore, a high level meeting of senior police officials of Central range took place on June 15. A special squad was formed to nab the gang involved in the series of murder. The police questioned Arjuna, Keshava, and Manjunath, who were arrested by Byappanahalli police in August 1997. The trio told the police that their associate Shyam had broken away from them and was operating with his cousin Ravi. Based on the information, Shyam and Ravi were apprehended near Kunigal, police said.

SUPARNA MURDER: According to police on February 19, Suparna was returning home on her scooter after attending an office party. Shyam and Ravi noticed her near Dollar colony, followed her and assaulted her with an iron rod. When Suparna tried to scream, they gagged her mouth with plastic cover and the scarf she was wearing, and pushed her inside a drainage. The two ran away with Suparna's gold chain, hearing some passers by approaching.