KOZHIKODE: Though Muhammad Shafi of Parappanpoyil, who was abducted from his house returned safely, the investigators are trying to tie the loose ends in the entire episode by conducting a detailed probe.
According to the police, the four persons arrested in connection with the case are closely linked to the kidnappers. The special investigation team suspects that some of the gang members have fled from the country. Shafi, who was abducted on April 7, returned on April 17 afternoon. He was reportedly released at Mysuru by the abductors.
The investigating officer and Thamarassery DySP Ashraf Thangalakandiyil clarified that though Shafi has returned home, the police will investigate the abductors and the gold smuggling link in the case. Meanwhile, Shafi was produced before the JFCM Court, Thamarassery, and later released.
As per the statement of Shafi, the abductors kept him in captivity in Karnataka and later allowed him to take a bus to Mysuru where his relatives came and picked him up. The special investigation team may take Shafi to Mysuru to collect evidence in the abduction case. A team of police officials has gone to Mysuru for further investigation.
Muhammed Naushad, 24, Ismail Asif, 33, and Abdul Rahiman, 33, from Manjeswaram, and Muneer from Madavoor, were arrested in connection with the abduction of Shafi on April 16. The police traced the accused from the vehicle details received from the CCTV footage in and around Parappanpoyil and Kasaragod.
The abductors took a car on rent from a Kasaragod native, C Hussain, and came to Parappanpoyil two weeks before the abduction to confirm Shafi’s whereabouts. The gang was spotted in and around Parappanpoyil in two different cars with the same registration number. DySP Ashraf Thengalakandiyil said that the police hope to get more details about those behind the abduction through a detailed interrogation of the arrested persons.
Shafi and his wife were abducted at 9.30 pm on April 7 at gunpoint by a four-member gang that broke into his house. The gang released the wife on the way and fled from the place with Shafi. The next day police found out that Shafi’s iPhone, which had been switched off at Lakkidi, again showed signal near the airport in Karipur.
On April 11, a white sedan car was taken into custody from a workshop in Cherkala, Kasaragod, and Hussain, who had handed over the car on rent to the abductors, was taken into custody.
Last Thursday, Shafi’s first video message was released and the next day another video message was also released. In the first video, he said that he brought 325kg of gold from abroad and in the second video he alleged that his brother Naufal is the mastermind behind the gold smuggling and that he was trying to grab his wealth.