Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network – Kasargod (SP)

Kasargod, Jul 31: A team led by deputy superintendent of police (DySP) here, T P Ranjith, succeeded in arresting a man and his accomplice, who are facing over 25 cases which include murder attempt and posing of death threats, on Wednesday July 30.

The arrested persons have been identified as Hameed alias Gujari Hameed (25), a native of Attegoly in Uppala Paivalike, and Mohammed Siddique (32) from Bangalore.

Hameed has been charged with attempting to murder Manjeshwar station sub-inspector of police, P Pramod, about a month back at Paivalike. As many as 19 cases of murder attempts and posing of threats in Manjeshwar police station limits, two in Kumble, one at Bekal, and one in Karnataka, stand registered against him. The police said three among these cases pertain to murder attempts.

The police confiscated an Innova car that had been stolen from Malappuram from his possession. It is gathered that the accused also was involved with illegal transportation of sand, liquor, and other restricted goods into Kerala from other states.

Some of the cases he faces include forceful collection of hafta (protection money), robbing of passengers by intercepting vehicles, etc. The police said that a gang led by Hameed had created an environment of tension and fear in Uppala area. Robbing of cash and cell phone from a youth in 2005 from Uppala, damaging of public property at Paivalike the same year, murder attempt on a youth in Uppala Sonkal in 2006, theft of car from Karnataka the same year, illegal liquor transportation, robbing cash from a youth from Uppala railway station, and theft of car from Manjeshwar Kunjathur, are some of the cases he has been facing.

In 2007, cases relating to theft of car, theft from a house in Udyavar, murder attempt of a youth in Paivalike Baikatte, were registered against him. In 2012, he had blocked police from Manjeshwar from discharging their duties, and tried to assault them. Assault on a youth, damaging of two houses, hatching a plan of assault at Kanyana, were registered in 2013, in which he was named as accused. He also faces case relating to robbing of Rs 4.5 lac in cash from a motor bike rider from Paivalike Kattadamane, and robbing of six lac rupees from another motor bike rider from Arikkadi. Reportedly, he had forced himself into a private finance concern at Bekal and robbed Rs 20,000 in cash apart from 113 sovereigns of gold ornaments.

When sub-inspector of Manjeshwar police station, Pramod, tried to arrest him on June 27, 2014, the accused had hit his car against the police vehicle, besides brandishing a revolver and posing death threats to the police. The police had formed a special team to arrest Hameed. On getting information that he was sighted at Manjeshwar Udyavar, the police went there and succeeded in taking him into custody.

The accused was produced in court. DySP, T P Ranjith, said that the police will seek police custody of the accused to get more details relating to the crimes he was involved with. The police are also on the look out for some other accomplices of Hameed.