Kasargod: Real estate businessman hacked to death by gang of four

Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network – Kasargod

Kasargod, Oct 25: A real estate businessman was murdered in cold blood at Uppala here on Thursday October 24 night.

The deceased is identified as Muthalib (38). He was killed while he was driving back home.

Police suspect the involvement of Kaliya Rafiq of Uppala and his associates who are wanted in several criminal cases. Sources said that Muthalib was involved in more than four criminal cases earlier, including attempt-to-murder, and two years ago, he had given up criminal activities and started a real estate business.

Muthalib owned a flat in Uppala where he lived along with his family. On Thursday night at around 10.30, he was killed at a spot about 100 metres away from his flat.

Four assailants waylaid his car when he was driving back home and tried to forcibly enter the back seat. Muthalib, in a bid to escape, lost control of the car and hit a compound wall of a house.

The assailants chased him, smashed the car glass and hacked him to death with lethal weapons before escaping from the spot, it is learnt.

Though the locals rushed to the stop when they heard the noise, they could not stop the murder or prevent the miscreants from fleeing. Muthalib was taken to a hospital in Mangalore by a car that was passing by, but he breathed his last on the way.

The body was shifted to Uppala community health center at night. After investigation, police sent the body to Periyaram Medical College for post-mortem.

District SP Thomson Jose, Kumble circle inspector C B Thomas, Manjeshwar sub-inspector Bijulal among other officials visited the spot and investigated.

As bullet marks were found on Muthalib’s body, it is suspected that the murderers shot at him before attacking him with other weapons, said the police, based on the post-mortem report.

A hunt for the absconding accused is on.