The police hunt for the seven-member killer gang, which eliminated RMP leader T P Chandrasekharan on May 4, came to a successful culmination on Tuesday when K Shinoj, 20, of Palloor, Mahe, came out of his hiding and surrendered before the Vadakara Judicial First Class Magistrate Court. Shinoj had been absconding after the incident.
Along with Shinoj, C K Rajikanth of Paral, who reportedly guided the killer gang to Onchiyam and helped them identify Chandrasekharan, also surrendered before the court. With the surrender of Shinoj, all those who were directly involved in the murder are in custody.
The duo, for whom police had intensified search, arrived on Vadakara court premises around 3 pm and surrendered before Magistrate M Shohaib. Sources said that the gang members had escaped to Koothuparamba in a hired Toyota Innova after committing the crime. From Koothuparamba, the killer gang split into three groups and Shinoj and Rajikanth escaped together. The SIT earlier believed that Shinoj was with the prime accused N K Sunil Kumar alias Kodi Suni and two others, Kirmani Manoj and Mohammed Shafi, who were nabbed from Mudakozhikunnu near Iritty last month.
Shinoj, a member of the gang of Kodi Suni, was an accused in the murder of two RSS activists at New Mahe in 2010. The SIT suspects that the duo had been staying in CPM strongholds to evade arrest. The Thalassery Sessions Court had on Monday rejected the plea moved by Shinoj seeking anticipatory bail.
The SIT told the court that Rajikanth, the guide, had attempted to eliminate Chandrasekharan earlier also.
Before joining the gang of Kodi Suni, he was an auto driver and a member of the band troop of CPM Paral branch committee.
Vadakara Judicial First Class Magistrate M Shohaib remanded Shinoj in judicial custody and Rajikanth for ten days in police custody.
The SIT has submitted a petition before Kozhikode Chief Judicial Magistrate Court seeking permission to conduct an identification parade of Shinoj at the district jail. More: P4