Daijiworld Media Network – Karkala (RD)
 
Karkala, Aug 8: Police have solved the murder case of Kabettu resident Hussein, whose body was found dumped near a dam at Maloor in Teertahalli, Shimoga district a few days ago.

Though no arrests have been made so far, police sources claimed that five persons belonging to a fundamentalist organisation - Banglegudde resident Suleiman, Kabettu resident Sikander, Bailoor resident Ashraf and two others -  kidnapped Hussein for ransom, and killed him when the payment was not made.

Hussein, a resident of A V Nagar in Kabettu, had bought a new car on his return to his native village about one-and-a-half-years ago and was running taxi service since then. He used to park his taxi at Mangalore Airport most of the times, and would return home by evening. However, on July 31, he went missing.
 
The police personnel scanned Hussein's phone records and confirmed that Hussein had received a call at 12.30 pm on July 31. The callers spoke in Urdu and struck a deal with him to pick them up from Sanoor petrol pump, near here and drop them at Halady in Kundapur taluk.

Though Hussein refused, the callers coaxed him to consent, with assurances that he would reach home on time that evening. Hussein informed his son-in-law, a resident of Maroor in Moodbidri about the errand. He was last seen in Ajekar, after which his cell phone lost network connectivity. His wife Nabisa lodged a complaint with Karkala town police in this regard. The police launched a search operation and tracked down the abandoned car in Shimoga and took it in their possession.
 
It is said that the murderers chose the Sanoor route to hoodwink the police into believing that Kammaradi Hanif, a hardcore smuggler and car thief who is active in sandalwood smuggling in the Sanoor area, was behind the crime.

The police, however, focussed their attention on interrogating the locals and also relatives of Hussein. Sikander, a local resident, also went missing on the same day, thus rousing suspicions. Police then questioned Sikander’s brother who revealed the truth.