VIJAYAPURA, 15 JULY

Contract killer Sushil Kale, an aide of notorious criminal Bagappa Harijan, was murdered by a six-member gang on the outskirts of Vijayapura town on Monday night, police said. Two of the accused, identified as Akash Kalawagol and Subhash Bagali, tried to escape on a bike, but police foiled their attempt by shooting them in their legs.  Kale had come to an area under Gandhi Chowk police station limits late in the night on Monday when the gang attacked him. He was first shot with a country-made revolver and later attacked with sharp weapons, killing him on the spot. "I fired two rounds of bullets to their legs after they refused to surrender," Gandhi Chowk Police Inspector Pradeep Talakeri said.