An accomplice of the prime suspect in the murder of Fort Kochi native Rajesh, 24, who was allegedly stabbed at a musical evening in front of the international stadium at Kaloor on Saturday midnight, was arrested by the police on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Abhishek John, 25, of Amboori in Thiruvananthapuram was arrested, while the prime suspect, Mohammed Hassan of Kasaragod, who is said to have escaped to Tamil Nadu, is still on the run. The murder was a sequel to Hassan allegedly misbehaving with a woman during the event, which was opposed to the woman, the victim, and other organisers of the event.
The police suspect that Hassan is heading from Masinagudi in Tamil Nadu towards Mysore. His brother and a woman acquaintance were among those who were questioned to know his whereabouts.
The police have been under fire since the murder, the seventh in less than two months, from political parties and others, who alleged that the officers were not taking measures to curb goons and drug peddlers who were having a free run in the city, especially after dusk.
Senior citizen arrested
The Kaloorkad police arrested a senior citizen and three others whom he had reportedly hired to murder a youth, on Monday. They were charged with attempt to murder. The arrested are Kunnel Ravi, 67, Vishnu, 30, Ameen, 39, and Nelloor Sanjo, 30. Ravi had hired the others to murder one Joshy Antony, with whom he had a personal enmity. He also paid them ₹20,000. Antony managed to escape, although he was attacked using iron rods and alerted the police, which led to the arrest.