Section 144 in riot-hit Bengaluru areas till Aug 15

The total number of arrests in connection with the Bengaluru riots on Tuesday night has risen to 145. Section 144 has been extended in affected localities in the east of the city, an official said on Thursday.

"Section 144 has been imposed till August 15, 6 a.m.," the Central Crime Branch (CCB) Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) told IANS.

Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime said the investigation will continue into Tuesday's incidents at DJ Halli.

Meanwhile, relatives of the three people who died in police firing on Tuesday night said they were not part of the mob. According to their families, the three were bystanders and were hit by bullets on Tannery Road.

It has also emerged that P.Naveen, the nephew of Congress MLA Akanda Srinivas Murthy, whose derogatory social media post sparked the riots, has been found to be a regular offender with social media posts.

Jain said the police is investigating if the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has any links to the riots. On Tuesday night, hundreds of people ran amok after Murthy's nephew Naveen posted a derogatory message on social media.

The mobs pelted stones, injuring 60 policemen, and committed acts of vandalism and arson in DJ Halli, KG Halli, Pulikeshinagar and Kaval Byrasandra areas. - IANS