Mangaluru : Five murders reported in the coastal region in the span of a month has raised concern among the residents here. Those murdered included Chhota Shakeel’s aide Madoor Isubbu and his associate Ganesh Shetty.

The first one to be reported was the murder of Bajrang Dal activist and flower vendor Prashant Poojary at Moodbidri, which is a popular pilgrimage destination for the Jains, on October 9. This was followed by the murder of Vicky Bolar (28), who was involved in several crimes, at Thokkotu on October 26. Three days later, Vijeeth (29), another criminal, was hacked to death. Madoor Isubbu and his associate Ganesh Shetty were murdered in the Mangaluru District Prison on November 2.

Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, said that five murders in a month reflected the law and order situation in the city. “Changing the Home Minister does not solve the problem. The Home Department should act tough against those involved in crimes and prevent such murders,” he said. Though Congress MLC Ivan D’Souza did not agree that there was a failure of law and order, he said that the murders in quick succession were a cause for concern.

As many as 21 persons have been murdered so far this year and 75 persons have been arrested in this connection. As many as 26 persons were murdered in 2013 while 30 were murdered in 2014.

Police Commissioner S. Murugan said the murders reported in the last few days were result of personal animosity. He said that the investigation into the Prashant Poojary murder case was fair and 10 persons had been arrested so far.

“We are on the look out for a few more persons. The police have been quick enough to arrest those allegedly involved in the other murder cases within just hours after the incident,” he claimed.

Mr. Murugan said that there was no need to panic. “The situation [in the city] is not bad,” he said and added, “It is our bounden responsibility to ensure that citizens are safe and sound here.”