The Paravoor police on Thursday arrested former state president of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in connection with a case registered for the brutal attack on a hotel owner at Vaniyakkad near Paravoor in August. The arrested person has been identified as Ashraf, 52, Kureethara House, Vaniyakkad, who is the eighth accused in the case.
The Kerala High Court had dismissed Ashraf’s bail plea and had directed him to surrender before the police on Wednesday. The accused had been absconding ever since the investigation team started the probe.
North Paravoor CI Abdul Salam said that Ashraf was part of the team that hatched a conspiracy against Abdul Nazeer.
The attack was conspired as the new mosque committee led by Nazeer defeated the committee under Ashraf. The new committee also passed several new reforms which were not acceptable to Asraf and his associates. Ashraf plotted with Shihab, the first accused in the case, after Nazeer ridiculed him at a public forum.
The police team produced the accused before the Paravoor Judicial First Class Magistrate who remanded him in judicial custody.
“With the arrest of Ashraf all the 19 persons involved in the cases have been arrested. The investigation of the case has been completed and we will file the chargesheet of the case before the court soon,” Abdul Salam said.
Abdul Nazeer was attacked by an armed gang while returning home after offering prayers at the Vaniyakkad mosque, early in the morning.
The investigation revealed that several key accused persons in the case were activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI).