Perinthalmanna: The police have arrested five person in connection with the murder of Abdul Jaleel, 42, soon after he returned from Saudi Arabia a week ago. The probe revealed the Agali native worked for gold smugglers and had to pay with life for not handing over the smuggled consignment to operatives in Kerala.
Malappuram District police chief S Sujith Das said a massive manhunt has been launched to nab the main accused and Akaraparambu native Yahya.
The arrested persons are Althaf, 31; Rafeeque Mohammad Musthafa; alias Muthu, 34; Anas Babu; alias Mani, 40; Mohammad Abdul Ali, 40; and Manikandan, 39, all residents of Akaraparambu.
Mohammad Abdul Ali, Altaf and Rafeeque Mohammad were with the main accused Yahya when Jaleel was assaulted. The other two accused had helped the culprits. The police have seized the vehicle which was used for abducting Jaleel.
The police said that the deceased Jaleel was a gold smuggling carrier. Yahya and his gang had assaulted Jaleel as they could not get the gold which was smuggled from Saudi Arabia.
Jaleel, who was kidnapped from Nedumbassery airport on May 15, was assaulted for four consecutive days at Anas Babu's flat in Perinthalmanna, Akaraparambu ground and Abdul Ali's house in Poopalath. While Jaleel was admitted to a hospital on the morning of May 19, he died the next day.
