Seven persons have been arrested by the Nemom police in connection with the murder of a 24-year old youth at Karakkamandapam a few days ago.
According to the police, those arrested have been identified as Habeeb, Arif, Ashar and Aashiq of Karakkamandapam, Malik of Kalady, Abu Shakeer of Ponnumangalam, and Noufal of Nemom.
Goes up to eight
With the development, the number of those who have been apprehended in the case have gone up to eight.
It was only two days ago that a person, identified as Anshakeer of Puthiya Karakkamandapam, had been arrested. He had provided the investigating team with crucial leads that led to the arrests of the others in the case.
Fled to Kanyakumari
“All the accused had fled to Kanyakumari soon after allegedly committing the crime, only to return after a few days. While five persons were apprehended from Maruthoorkadavu, the two others were caught from near the Nemom railway station in an apparent attempt to flee to far-off places,” an official said.
The case pertains to the murder of Rafeeq, who hailed from Vellayani, during an alleged clash among gangs who have been involved in a long-running feud.
Rafeeq was allegedly lured to a certain point at Karakkamandapam by Abu Shakeer, who is suspected to be the leader of the rival gang.
Beaten to death
The victim was purportedly beaten to death using a stone, following which he succumbed to his injuries at the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital.
Escapes
While Abu Shakeer was also admitted with minor injuries, he managed to escape from the hospital and continues to be on the run. The police said that efforts were on to nab the remaining persons who have alleged links with the crime.
