Fazil murder: Mangaluru police arrest six persons, say crime was planned

The Mangaluru City Police have arrested six persons in connection with the murder of Mohammed Fazil at Surathkal. Fazil was hacked to death outside a shop at Surathkal on the night of July 28.

Confirming the arrests, Commissioner of Police N Shashi Kumar identified the arrested as Suhas Shetty (29), Mohan alias Nepali Mohan (26), Giridhar (23), Abhishek (21), Srinivas (23) and Deekshith (21).

The police, in connection with Fazil’s murder, had arrested Ajith Crasta, a 34-year-old man who owned the car used by assailants. Based on the information provided by Crasta, the police were able to deduce details about the assailants. He was assured Rs 15,000 for renting the car for three days. With the arrest, the total number of arrests in the case was at seven.

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Preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested had planned the murder since July 26.

According to the commissioner, seven to eight teams worked towards cracking the case; they visited various places in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Sringeri, Uttara Kannada, and even Kerala, during the investigation. The arrested didn’t know each other, but came together through a common link to commit the murder.

“We will seek police custody of the arrested to further investigate, including the motive behind the murder, the organisations they belong to and background for the murder,” said Kumar.

The commissioner also detailed the background to the murder. He said that Suhas had called Abhishek and had discussed the murder on the night of July 26. The next day, Suhash met Giridhar at a hotel on the outskirts of Surathkal and planned the logistics, including hiring a car. They were later joined by Mohan, Abhishek, Srinivas and Deekshith.

Mohan and Giridhar hired the car. Later in the evening, Suhas, Giridhar and Mohan discuss the target. On July 28, Suhas visited Karinjeshwara Temple in Bantwal, with a friend in the car used during Fazil’s murder. He carried the weapons used in the murder in the car.

Suhas, who had a court hearing in a separate case, met the other five members near the court in Mangaluru after the hearing. They met at a canteen in Surathkal to discuss Fazil’s whereabouts and details; they later visited a bar in Kinnigoli, explained the senior police officer.

Later in the evening, they found Fazil near a shop in Surathkal, and hacked him to death. The police identified Suhas, Mohan and Abhishek as the attackers, and Giridhar as the getaway driver. Srinivas was on the lookout from nearby, while Deekshith was an accomplice in the car, the commissioner said. They then escaped in the car and abandoned it later at Inna in Padubidri, where they changed cars—this time one owned by one of Srinivas’s friends.

All the arrested are accused in other cases, including murder and assault. There are four separate outstanding cases against Suhas and Srinivas, three cases against Deekshith, and two each against Mohan, Giridhar and Abhishek registered in various police stations.

The commissioner also said that the police were also looking for others who were directly, or indirectly, involved in the murder. According to the police officer, they had identified seven targets, which will also be investigated.