Kasargod: Muthalib murder - Police arrest prime accused in Rajasthan
Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network – Kasargod (EP)
Kasargod, Nov 14: Kalia Rafeeq, the prime accused in the murder case of real estate dealer Muthalib (38), and his accomplice have been arrested at Rajasthan’s Ajmer by a special police team. With these arrests the number of people arrested in the case has gone up to four.
Kalia Rafeeq
Muthalib
Muthalib was shot dead and also attacked with sharp weapons allegedly by Kalia Rafeeq and his accomplices when he was on his way back home in his car at Uppala on the night of October 24. The police have arrested two more people who are accused of assisting Kalia Rafeeq and Samshuddin in the crime.
A massive search operation was launched in Karnataka and Mumbai to arrest Kalia Rafeeq. The police had returned empty handed during their earlier trip as Kalia and his accomplice Samshuddin had gone into hiding on hearing about the search. The police through investigation came to know that they were hiding in Ajmer. The police then conducted the raid and successfully arrested the accused.
The accused who had gone to Bangalore soon after the crime had proceeded to Mumbai and then to Ajmer, it is learnt.
Mohammed Rafiq of Uppala Mulinja and Ansar of Kurudupadavu who are accused of assisting Kalia Rafeeq have already been arrested. The information obtained from them helped to trace Kalia Rafeeq, say the police. Rafeeq has confessed that Muthalib’s murder was planned two months in advance.
Kalia Rafeeq is accused in more than thirty criminal cases including robbery, murder, attempt to murder etc and has been posing a problem for the police. Five years ago, he had escaped from the custody of Chikmagalur police when he was arrested, produced in the court and was being brought to Kasargod in connection with the kidnap and murder of a youth in Kaikamba in Uppala. He was arrested by Kadri police thereafter and soon released.
He was arrested by Vittal police a few months ago in connection to ganja peddling and was released on bail. While on bail he allegedly murdered Muthalib in cold blood.