MALAPPURAM: The Manjeri Additional District Court on Monday convicted three men for the murder of Mysuru-based traditional healer Shaba Sherif.
The case is one of the rare instances in Kerala where a murder conviction was secured without the recovery of the victim’s body.
The court pronounced the three accused persons guilty of culpable homicide.
The three are, first accused, Shaibin Ashraf (42) of Kaipenchery in Nilambur, second accused, Ponnakkaran Shihabudheen (36) of Sultan Bathery, and the sixth accused, Naduthodika Nishad (41) of Nilambur.
The court will pronounce their sentence on Saturday.
Shaba Sherif was killed in October 2020 after being held captive for over a year. The group dismembered his body and dumped the remains in the Chaliyar River near Edavanna.
Nine other accused in the case were acquitted. The police had initially named 15 individuals in the case. Among them, Fasil died in Goa, while one suspect remains at large. The prosecution also proved charges of conspiracy and destruction of evidence.
The prosecution was able to secure conviction despite being not able to recover the victim’s body. A video showing Shaba standing with his legs shackled in a room inside Shaibin’s house, released by Thangalakath Noushad (41) of Sultan Bathery, became a key piece of evidence. Noushad later turned approver. Additionally, a strand of Shaba’s hair recovered from Shaibin’s car was confirmed through DNA testing.
Public Prosecutor E M Krishnan Namboothiri commended the police for successfully proving the charges despite the challenges. “By finding the trio guilty, the court has sent a strong message that criminals will not go unpunished even if they destroy most of the evidence. The police, under former Malappuram SP Sujith Das and former Nilambur CI Vishnu, put in great effort to investigate the case and ensure justice was served,” he said.
Malappuram SP R Viswanadh described the verdict as a proud moment for the Kerala Police, stating that they had successfully established the murder in court despite the absence of the victim’s remains.
Shaba, 60, operated a clinic in Mysuru, where he was known for his traditional treatment of haemorrhoids. Shaibin, an industrialist, initially approached him under the pretext of seeking treatment for a patient. However, his true intent was to obtain the secret formula of Shaba’s medicine and launch a business. Convincing Shaba to travel to Kerala, he imprisoned him in a room at his house in Nilambur when the healer refused to divulge his secret.
Over time, Shaba suffered severe physical assaults. In October 2020, Shaibin, in a fit of rage, kicked him in the chest, leading to his death. To cover up the crime, he, along with Shihabudheen, Noushad, and Nishad, dismembered the body and disposed of the parts in the Chaliyar River.
The murder remained undetected for over a year and a half. It came to light after a falling-out within the group led Shaibin to file a theft complaint against Shihabudheen, Noushad, and Nishad in April 2022, accusing them of stealing Rs 7 lakh and a laptop.
The Nilambur police arrested two of them, while the Thiruvananthapuram police handed over Noushad. During questioning, Noushad confessed to the murder, providing crucial details. His statement led to Shaibin’s arrest, who later admitted to the crime.
Meanwhile, the Mysuru police informed their counterparts in Malappuram that Shaba’s family had lodged a missing person report on August 2, 2019. Investigators also obtained the video footage of Shaba held captive, which was later confirmed by his family.
