Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network - Kasargod
Kasargod, Mar 24: The special police team investigating the murder of Madrasa teacher Riyaz has succeeded in arresting three persons in connection to the crime.
The arrested are S Nitin Rao (18), a resident of Kelugudde, Kasargod, N Akhilesh (25) of Sanna Kodlu, and Ajesh alia Appu (20) of Appayyanagar, Kelugudde.
The police have recovered the weapons and bike used in the crime.
All three were produced in the Kasargod court on Friday March 24 and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
Police said that only the three arrested were directly involved in the crime and no one else.
Riyaz (34), a Madrasa teacher, was found dead in the outskirts of Kasargod in the wee hours of March 20.
Accused Nitin and Ajesh went missing soon after the crime came to light, while Akhilesh continued to go to his workplace.
The special team, during investigation, zeroed in on those who face charges in various cases of murder and other crimes. In the process, they learnt that the accused trio was in town until the time of the murder, but Ajesh and Nitin went absconding soon after, which gave rise to suspicions.
The police then launched a search for the missing accused, and arrested them in Kasargod.
On receiving intelligence inputs that some forces had planned to create disturbances in Kasargod district after Riyaz's murder, the state home ministry formed a special team led by Kannur district crime intelligence bureau SP A Srinivas under the charge of IGP.
During investigation, it was learnt that the three accused had met and plotted Riyaz's murder at Talipadpu grounds in the outskirts of Kasargod on the night of March 20. While returning from work, Akhilesh had bought beer, brandy and ganja with him. The three consumed alcohol and ganja until midnight, after which they decided to commit a murder.
As per the plan, Ajesh went walking till Kelugudde armed with weapons, while Nitin and Akhilesh went ahead by bike. Ajesh went to the mosque yard and found the place deserted. Akhilesh remained seated on the bike, while Nitin forced his entry into the mosque compound with a stone in hand.
Riyaz, who was inside the mosque, came out on hearing sounds. As soon as he opened the door, the three accused barged inside and attacked him. Khateeb Abdul Azeez who was in another room rushed out on hearing the commotion, and was attacked with a stone by Nitin. Azeez then closed the door and rushed to the main prayer hall of the mosque and sounded an alert through the speaker.
The accused escaped from the spot on their bike. They went straight to an anganwady in Kelugudde and washed their blood-stained clothes in a tank there. Thereafter, they went to Akhilesh's house.
When Akhilesh's family questioned them about their whereabouts, they reportedly said that the police were searching for them in connection to a warrant against them for participating in clashes that occured during elections, and that they were hiding from police for this reason. Nitin and Ajesh stayed the night at Akhilesh's house.
For the next two days, Ajesh and Nitin hid themselves in a shed at Kelugudde, while Akhilesh resumed his work at a bank where he is employed. It is said that Ajesh and Nitin would quietly go home for meals without anyone's notice and return to the shed, telling their families that they were hiding from the police due to the warrant over election clashes.
As Ajesh and Nitin were engaged in coolie work, the locals noticed that they had gone missing and informed the police.
Motive
The police said that the murder was committed with an intention to incite clashes.
On March 18, a kabaddi tournament was organized at Talipadpu grounds. The accused went to the grounds with the intention of stealing a bike to roam around at night and buy liquor. They stole a bike and went towards Meepuguri in the wee hours, where they threw beer bottles into a playground where badminton tournament was going on. This gave rise to a fight during which Nitin was attacked with a stone. The police who arrived at the spot took the bike into their possession and during investigation, learnt that it was stolen from Talipadpu.
Nitin harboured a grudge after the clash, and on March 20 night, allegedly wanted to commit a murder in the vicinity of Kelugudde. On finding no one in their hunt for a target, the trio murdered Riyaz, it is said. Police sources said that they committed the murder in order to spark clashes in the district.