KASARGOD: Three more persons, including two businessmen, were arrested in connection with the killing of a non-resident Indian, allegedly involved in a money-laundering scheme that involved moving foreign currencies abroad.
The accused were identified as Riyas Hassan (33) of Udyavar in Manjeshwar, Abdul Razak (46) of Uppala, and Aboobackar Siddik (33) of Kunjathur in Manjeshwar.
With this, police have arrested five persons for the kidnapping and killing of Aboobackar Siddik (32) of Mugu in Kumbla panchayat on June 26.
Four businessmen had allegedly given dirhams worth Rs 50 lakh in a bag to Siddik to be taken to Dubai. But he delivered an empty bag, which made the businessmen hire goons to torture him in a bid to get the money back.
The goons from a gang in Paivalike first kidnapped Siddik's brother Anwar and relative Ansar on June 24 and tortured them to force Siddik to return from Dubai.
When Siddik arrived on June 26, the goons took him to the same torture house at Paivalike, hung him naked upside down, and assaulted him till he collapsed.
They rushed him to a hospital in Bandiyod in Uppala, but the doctors declared him dead.
On Wednesday, police arrested Abdul Azeez (36), one of the four businessmen, and Abdul Raheem (41), who allegedly helped Azeez get away, from Margao in Goa.
Of the three persons arrested on Friday, Riyas Hassan runs a money exchange and also owns a chocolate business in Goa, said an investigating officer. "We have to check if the money exchange is legal," he said.
Abdul Razak runs a travel and ticketing agency in Uppala. Aboobackar Siddik (33) of Kunjathur was allegedly driving the car in which the body of victim Siddik was brought to the hospital in Bandiyod, said the officer.
District police chief Vaibhav Saxena had said there were around 15 accused, including the four businessmen who hired the goons.
With Friday's arrest, the police have got three businessmen and two persons who harboured them and later helped them get away in custody.
The police are yet to arrest the goons who thrashed Siddik to death. Several of them were already slapped with murder charges in a five-year-old case.
In a statement released on Friday, Kasaragod Deputy Superintendent of Police P Balakrishnan Nair said the main accused in the case have been arrested.
Police have now seized Rs 4.5 lakh and four vehicles during the investigation.