PALAKKAD: Three persons were taken into custody by the police on Monday in connection with the brutal murder of an RSS worker, Sanjith at Mambram, in Palakkad on November 15.
Police picked up Subair, a native of Mundakkayam, and Salaam and Ishaaq, both of whom were natives of Nenmara in Palakkad, from Mundakkayam near Kottayam.
The police initially took Subair into custody and subsequently two others were picked from the room of Subair.
The police are yet to confirm whether the three persons had directly taken part in the crime or had assisted the assailants.
Subair is said to have come to work in a bakery in Mundakkayam only four months ago. He was staying with the other workers in the room arranged by the owner. He is said to have arranged accommodation for the two others, Salaam and Ishaaq in his room.
Earlier, a 34-member team was constituted by the police to investigate the incident. The police have also recovered the CCTV images of the white Maruti 800 car which was used by the accused to chase the RSS activist and his wife who were travelling on a motorbike.
The police team had prepared a list of persons who were involved in similar crimes in the past. One of the teams constituted for the probe was said to be camping in Kottayam and watching the activities of Subair, according to sources.
The police had earlier recovered blood-stained machetes from Kannannoor beside the Palakkad –Thrissur national highway which was dumped there in a sack. Only after questioning the culprits can it be confirmed whether it was these accused who had abandoned that sack, they said.
The BJP had alleged from the beginning that it was the SDPI activists who had killed Sanjith as three attempts had been made on his life in the past. However, the SDPI had denied its involvement.
On November 15 Sanjith, a native of Elapully in Palakkad and the RSS Thenari Mandalam Bhouthik Shikshan was killed brutally in broad daylight just five minutes after he had left his wife's house. Sanjith was killed in front of his wife, Arshika. There were more than 30 wounds on his body.