Daijiworld Media Network – Kasargod (SP)

Kasargod, Apr 29: Keeri Abdulla (60) from Koodlu Mannippady, who had been taken into custody by the policemen relating to the murder of Hamza from Pallikere, died in a hospital in the town on Thursday April 28. However, the policemen asserted that no foul play was involved with his death.

The murder of Hamza, which occurred over two decades back, had created a flutter in the district, with various organizations demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.  Keeri Abdulla, 13th accused in the case, had succeeded in evading arrest since the last 22 years, and the Central Bureau of Investigation, to which the case was entrusted, had failed to find out his whereabouts. Ernakulam CBI court had issued arrest warrant for him.

After the police came to know through a secret source that Abdulla was holed up in his residence in Mannippady, some police personnel, led by local deputy superintendent of police, P P Vikram, went there and arrested him on Wednesday evening. Within some time thereafter, he complained of sickness. He was immediately admitted into the hospital, but he died there later.

The Kasargod police, on a complaint about unnatural death filed by the daughter of the deceased, have registered a case. In order to conduct a detailed and sophisticated post mortem on the body in order to clear any doubts, the body was taken to Pariyaram Medical College Hospital in Kannur. The policemen said that the cause of death will be known once the post mortem report is received.

Hamza, a bus owner by profession, had been fired at and killed, when he was travelling in a car on April 29, 2009. He was killed by a gang of persons, who were angry that he had passed on information about the smuggling of gold to the policemen.