Jewellery shop employee murder case: Suspect arrested from Kasaragod

Mangaluru: The suspect in the murder at a jewellery shop in the city has been arrested in Kasaragod.

Shifas (30), a native of Kozhikode, was taken into custody in a joint operation of Mangaluru and Kasaragod Police.

It may be recalled that Raghavendra Acharya, a jewellery shop employee, 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.

Police said that a tip-off was received regarding the suspect and in a joint operation with Kasaragod district police, the suspect was secured in Kasaragod on March 2. After a detailed inquiry, which went on until late night, the suspect confessed to having committed the crime, they added.

Police said the accused has committed murder with the intention of robbery. He had gone back to his native place Kozhikode and was absconding since then.

Shifas had arrived in Kasaragod with the intention to commit another crime as he was found to be wearing multiple layers of clothes when he was secured, police said.

Mangaluru police said that Shifas had earlier enrolled in a engineering diploma course in Mangaluru but had dropped out after 2 years. he had been employed in Dubai between 2014 and 2019. The suspect lived with his parents, wife, and kids in Calicut, they added.

“The accused would be produced in court and we will seek his custody for further investigation,” police said.