Kasargod: Dubai-based businessman murdered, robbed
Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network - Kasargod
Kasargod, Aug 5: Masked men entered a Dubai-based businessman's house in Trikaripur here late night on Sunday August 4 and strangled him to death after tying him up and his family.
The deceased is A B Abdul Salam (58), who owned Novelty Group Company in Dubai. He headed KMCC in Dubai and was running a hotel and other business.
At around midnight, six persons with masks came to his house in a car and rang the door bell. Salam's daughter opened the door.
At the same time, her brother Sufi emerged from the bathroom, and seeing him, the men barged in and held him captive while also threatening to kill him.
On hearing the noise, Salam came into the room, and the men hit him on the head with a chair. They also tied him up and strangled him to death.
Shocked by the sight, Salam's wife began screaming. The men forced her into a room and tied her up too, and gagged her with a gum tape. The boy Sufi was forcibly locked in bathroom.
The men then demanded Salam's daughter to hand over the keys to the cupboard, car, bike, and also the mobile phones in the house. The frightened girl did as she was told, and the men looted the house completely, taking away even the vehicles. The men opened the cupboard but did not find any valuable items. Hence the thieves snatched the gold jewellery worn by Zainab and her daughter.
The girl told the police later that the assailants spoke a mixture of Malayalam and Hindi.
Also, there were CCTVs in the house, but the attackers smashed them and took away the recording too. The gates of the house are remote-controlled, but were out of order for the past one week.
Salam who stays in Dubai had come down a month ago on account of Ramadan. It is yet to be ascertained whether robbery or some other motive was behind the incident.
Sources said that a few Bengalis had come to the house sometime back. Police are understood be probing this angle too.
An eyewitness said that the masked miscreants came in a white car. But the registration number was not known.
As per the information obtained, the men rang the door bell and entered the house stating that they had come to ask donation.
Salam was looking after several businesses over the past few years. Police suspect that the thieves might have attacked the house expecting huge amounts of money stashed in the house for Ramadan donation.
Chandera circle inspector M P Dinesh Kumar, Neeleshwar circle inspector T V Sajeevan conducted primary investigation.
Fingerprint expert and canine squad were pressed into service.
District police chief Thomson Jose arrived at the spot and conducted investigation. The body was shifted to Pariyaram Medical College Hospital.
Chandera police have registered a case.