From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jun 22: Six persons, who were allegedly involved in the 2009 communal clashes in Mysore, have been arrested by the Mysore police in connection with the abduction and murder of two Hunsur-based MBA students last week.
The accused have been identified as Adil Pasha (23), a butcher, Ameen (23) and Rehaman (25), both wood polishers, Kouser (26), a contractor, Athaulla Khan (26), a cell phone repairer, and Saffeer Ahmed (34), an electrician.
The six arrested persons are active members of the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD), which has branches in Mysore and Hunsur and other parts, according to Karnataka’s Home and Transport Minister R Ashok.
The Minister, who announced the arrest of the six persons, claimed that the accused confessed to the police during interrogation that they had resorted to kidnapping the two students Sudheendra (21) and Vignesh (20) on June 8 in order to raise money for the Forum’s activities.
The accused had allegedly demanded Rs 5 crore for the release of the two students.
The accused were also involved in the 2009 communal riots in Mysore, acting state DGP S T Ramesh claimed, and said the role of the organisation and its activities would also be probed.
He said as per preliminary investigations the six had demanded the ransom to mobilise funds for the group.
On June 11, the abductors allegedly took the students to Chikkaballapur and strangled them and later stabbed them before dumping their bodies on the roadside near Agalagurki village in the district.
Ramesh claimed Adil Pasha and Athaulla Khan were also involved in four cases of murder and attempt to murder.
Police said they have recovered two vehicles, a toy pistol, a gold Ganesha pendant, two knives and six cell phones from them.