PALAKKAD: The police on Wednesday arrested four SDPI/PFI workers, including the main accused, in connection with the murder of RSS leader Sreenivasan, who was hacked to death in his shop last month.
The investigation that followed the recovery of parts from the two motorcycles used by the murderers – and later dismantled – led the police to Pattambi natives Abdul Nazar, 40, of Nandiyarathil house in Maradhur; Haneefa, 28, of Kallekkattil house in Kodalore and Kaja Hussein, 33, of Kodakkad house in Marathur as well as the main accused. The latter’s identity has not been revealed as the identification parade is pending.
The police said the main accused, also a Pattambi native, was part of the six-member group that entered Sreenivasan’s shop and hacked him, causing his death. So far, 20 SDPI/PFI workers directly and indirectly involved in the April 16 murder have been nabbed. They include four of the six attackers of Sreenivasan.
The police said Abdul, Haneefa and Hussein had dismantled and damaged the two motorbikes. The parts from the dismantled two-wheelers were sold to workshops, spare parts shops and scrap dealers, they said. The police had recently recovered parts of the two motorcycles from a workshop in Ongallur, which led them to the arrested persons.
The three persons were taken to Pattambi for evidence collection on Wednesday. They were first taken to the Ongallur workshop where the parts were found. The six attackers had arrived at Sreenivasan’s shop on two motorcycles and a scooter. The scooter was recovered from a rubber estate in Thadukkassery last week and one of the accused persons was later arrested from there.
The two-wheelers were led by a red Swift car which carried the machetes and other weapons. It is yet to be traced. The interrogation of the arrested persons revealed the car too was dismantled at Cherukode in Vallapuzha and was sold to scrap dealers in Kondurkara near Ongallur.