M'luru Jewellery shop staff murder: Police probe if suspect was involved in other crimes across multiple states

Mangaluru: Police are investigating whether Shifas, the suspect arrested in the murder of a jewelry shop employee in Mangaluru, may have been involved in any other similar crimes.

Shifas (30), a native of Kozhikode, was taken into custody in a joint operation of Mangaluru and Kasaragod Police for the murder of Raghavendra Acharya, a jewelry shop employee. Acharya was hacked to death at his workplace in broad daylight on February 3. Later, police released the images of the suspect and sought help from the public to identify him.

During a press conference on March 4, Mangaluru Police Commissioner Kuldeep Kumar Jain revealed that Shifas specifically targeted shops where there was only one shopkeeper present. He also disclosed that the accused had reportedly searched for similar shops in Tamil Nadu and Goa.

Jain added that information has been requested from other states to ascertain whether the suspect may have committed similar crimes elsewhere.

According to Jain, the accused would wear multiple layers of clothing to remove and dispose of any clothing stained with blood after committing a murder.

The Commissioner expressed his appreciation to the police team that was responsible for apprehending the accused.