Mangaluru mosque secretary murder: Three persons detained

The Mangaluru police have detained three persons in relation to the murder of a 34-year-old Muslim man, who worked as a mosque secretary at Masjid Kolthamajlu in Addoor of Dakshina Kannada.

Abdul Raheem, a pickup driver, was hacked to death by unidentified assailants while unloading sand in Irakodi, Bantwal. His colleague, Qalandar Shafi, was seriously injured and is under medical care. The murder took place on May 27.

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In his police statement, Shafi said they were attacked by at least 15 persons.

The Bantwal Rural Police Station registered a case under various sections. In the aftermath of Raheem’s brutal murder, angry Muslims surrounded the houses of prominent community leaders, including the president of the Dakshina Kannada District Waqf Advisory Committee, Nasir Lakkistar, demanding immediate action.

The following day, a bandh was observed across Dakshina Kannada in response to the murder.

Police have so far detained three persons: 21-year-old Deepak, 21-year-old Pritiviraj and 19-year-old Chintan were detained for questioning. They have also named Deepak, Sumit, and 13 others as accused in the case.

Speaking to The Observer, an inconsolable Raheem’s father said that on Sunday, his son got a call from Sumit (one of the accused) to deliver sand to Deepak’s (another accused) house.

“After the sand was unloaded, about 15 people arrived and stabbed Raheem all over his body. Shafi managed to escape. Around 3:32 pm, we received a call from Shafi saying they had been attacked,” Raheem’s father said.

“How are we going to feed our families? Whom can we trust when they murdered him just because he was asked to deliver sand?” Raheem’s father cried.

Abdul Raheem is survived by his wife and two young children, aged 3 years and 1.5 years.

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