Belagavi: Preparations are afoot at the Hindalga Jail here to bid adieu for serial killer and rapist Umesh Reddy with the gallows opened after 33 years and the staff getting necessary training to complete the task., With the date yet to be finalized, Umesh Reddy would be the first person to be hanged at the Hindalga in 33 years as his mercy petition has been rejected by the Supreme Court. A former Jawan of the CRPF and later the State Armed Reserve Police, Umesh had been accused of killing 18 women and raping 20 women across Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
He was, however, convicted in only nine cases, one of them being the rape and murder of Jayashree Subbaiah, a housewife in Peenya in 1998. He was, however, acquitted in 11 cases due to lack of evidence. Seven selected jail staffers are being trained to carry out the hanging and trials are being held using heavy gunny bags. The exercise would continue till the date arrives and one among the seven would be the Hangman. Keeping in mind the weight of Reddy, these gunny bags are filled with sand and weigh between 50 and 75 kg. It is not just the physical training aspects of the staff that the jail authorities are concerned about.
Besides, they are also provided psychological training to be mentally prepared for the task. 10 senior jailers from Dharwad, Badami,Vijayapura and Koppal prisons are on special duty to watch Reddy’s activities. Reddy has been lodged in a highly secured cell in the prison since the day he was sentenced to capital punishment. (UNI)