Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network – Kasargod (SP)
Kasargod, Jul 10: Mangalore crime branch inspector Valentine D'Souza on Wednesday July 9 said that the car used by the accused to bring bodies of smuggles Nafir and Fahim from Mangalore to Kasargod belongs to a person from Kasargod. The CCB police had seized the car while arresting the three accused in the case.
CCB inspector, Valentine D'Souza, revealed that this car, bought during January this year and registered in the regional transport office in Kasargod, is in the name of Abdul Muneer from Ayesha Manzil in Talangere in the district. Two kilograms of gold, which the alleged murderers had sold, was also recovered by the police.
Sources said that this car had been hired by the killers about two months ago. Although the car was purchased in January, registration was done in February. The inspector said that the case stands transferred to Pandeshwar police station in Mangalore, and that the car in question had been hired by the accused killers. The police personnel of Pandeshwar station have already filed an application in the court of the judicial magistrate first class, Mangalore, seeking police custody of the arrested accused. The accused are presently under judicial custody.
The police have information that the killers had planned to burn down the car in question in order to destroy all evidences of the crime, after bringing the mortal remains of the victims to Kasargod and burying them. The car impounded by the police had a can containing six litres of petrol, along with torn pieces of old clothes. These clothes bore blood stains. It is said that the killers wanted to inter the bodies of the victims before taking the car to a deserted spot in Mangalore and torching it.
The Kasargod police have also undertaken an investigation relating to the double murder, and their present focus is on finding the real owners of the gold that the murders had got access to. The police have strong suspicion about the involvement of gold smugglers with their headquarters in Kasargod. The investigation therefore relates to the land dealings that were finalized in the recent past, and the gang which had worked behind these deals.
The police have information about some people who are involved with the gold smuggling racket that functions mainly in Kasargod and Kannur districts. Still, they have so far not been able to guess about the true ownership of this gold.
The Pandeshwar police have been trying to get some leads by looking into mobile calls received and made by the accused. They are confident of getting some clues and finding out the real owners of the gold and other persons who have played a role in the crime.
It may be recalled that after killing Nafir from Talassery and Fahim from Kozhikode on July 1 in a rented house in Attavar Mangalore, the killers had buried their bodies in a desolate spot in Kundumguzhi. Relating to the murder, Muhammed Irshad from Vidyanagar Kasargod, Muhammed Munavvar Sanaf and Muhammed Safwan from Cherkala stand arrested.