The Crime Branch probing the murder of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) worker Mansur, a native of Kannur in Kerala, on Tuesday arrested another accused in the case. The accused, identified as Bijesh, a resident of Pullookkara near Thalassery in Kannur, The Hindu reported. It was on April 6, the day of Kerala Assembly polls, that Mansur was killed after he and his brother Muhsin were attacked by a group of men allegedly including workers of CPI(M). While Mansur lost his life in the attack, Muhsin was grievously injured.
With the arrest of Bijesh, a total of five accused have been nabbed. On Saturday, fourth accused Sreerag and seventh accused Aswath were arrested in the case. Shinos, Mansur’s neighbour and a leader of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the CPI(M) and another alleged CPI(M) worker Aneesh, were arrested earlier.
Meanwhile, Malayalam news channels on Tuesday aired CCTV visuals reported to be from near the crime spot in Panoor. It showed men, individually and in groups, entering an area near the crime spot, reportedly some minutes before the attack took place. A Times of India report stated that the group of men includes the arrested accused Sreerag also.
On Friday, another accused in the case Ratheesh Koloth, was found dead in the Valayam police station limits in Kozhikode. Though it is suspected to be a death by sucide, CPI(M) workers have alleged foul play in the death. A probe is also being held into Ratheesh’s death.
Though the case was initially probed by the local police, it was later handed over to the district Crime Branch and is now being probed by a 15-member investigation team.