A real estate businessman was murdered at Uppala on Thursday midnight. The deceased has been identified as Muthalib of Kannamkuzhi near Uppala. Police suspect the involvement of notorious criminal and quotation gang leader Kaliya Rafeeq of Uppala and his three associates, who are yet to be identified, in the murder.
According to police sources, Muthalib was driving back to his flat at Uppala, where he was living with his family, when he was waylaid by four assailants, including Kaliya Rafeeq. The car hit the compound wall of a house while Muthalib was trying to escape from the gang.
The gang broke the glass of the car, dragged the businessman out, and brutally hacked him to death with lethal weapons, it is said.
Sources said that Muthalib was involved in more than four criminal cases earlier, including attempt-to-murder. Two years ago, he gave up all criminal activities and started real estate business.
He was killed around 10.30 pm on Thursday night, at a spot just about 100 metres away from his flat at Uppala. Though the locals rushed to the spot after hearing the scream of the victim and his family members, they could not stop the miscreants. The locals took Muthalib, who was lying in a pool of blood, to a private hospital in Mangalore after the gang members fled the spot. He breathed his last on the way to the hospital.
Police sources said the body was shifted to Uppala Community Health Centre by 11.30 pm and was then taken to the Pariyaram Medical College for postmortem examination.
Senior police officials, including Kasargod SP Thomson Jose and Manjeswaram CI Sibi Thomas, visited the murder spot.
Bullet marks were also found on Muthalib’s body. According to police sources, it is suspected that the assailants shot him before he was murdered. Police have registered cases against four persons, including Kalia Rafeeq, under sections 302, 307 and 308. The police team led by Manjeswaram CI Sibi Thomas has intensified the probe and they hope to arrest the suspects at the earliest.
Muthalib’s body was brought to Mannamkuzhy after postmortem examination and was laid to rest on Friday evening.