The presence of security guards outside the beauty parlour owned by actor Leena Maria Paul had forced a last minute change in the plan of the assailants contracted to fire shots, it has emerged.
The Crime Branch Central Unit – II had on Thursday arrested Bilal, 25, of Kombara in Aluva NAD, and Vipin Varghese, 30, of Thevara, the first and the second accused who allegedly fired shots at the beauty parlour on December 15, 2018.
According to investigation sources, the accused had planned to barge into the beauty parlour and fire shots for a more dramatic effect. However, they panicked after they spotted the security guards and fired two shots outside and fled. They had expected Ms. Paul to be sufficiently threatened to pay the ransom of ₹25 crore, demanding which gangster Ravi Pujari had allegedly rung her up multiple times before and after the incident.
While the investigators have a fair idea about the identity of the Kasaragod-based aide of the gangster who had given the contract to Bilal, they were yet confirm it. The investigation team was confident that the gangster was behind the incident and that it was he who had rung up Ms. Paul and a news channel reporter boasting of his credentials, a reason why he was arraigned as the third accused, sources said.
Remand report
In its remand report of the accused produced before the court, the Crime Branch has stated that the gangster had rung up Ms. Paul multiple times via the Internet, from numbers traced to Senegal, France and Malaysia. Plans are afoot to collect his voice sample when the Crime Branch gets custody of the gangster, who was arrested in Senegal earlier this year, and match them with the voice clips it already has.
Arrest recorded
Meanwhile, the arrest of Althaf, 28, from Kathrikadavu, who was taken into custody on Friday afternoon, was recorded late at night. He stands accused of arranging weapons and motorcycle for the accused.
Althaf was produced before a magistrate on Saturday and the Crime Branch was given custody till Tuesday evening. The motorcycle used by the assailants was recovered from Althaf’s house. The hunt is on for a missing revolver and the persons who had arranged the fake number plate of the motorcycle.
A revolver and pistol were recovered on Friday.
