The prime accused in the gruesome Thalassery double murder case was arrested from Iritty in Kerala’s Kannur district on Thursday, 24 November. The accused Parayi Babu was arrested after an intense search operation by the local police.
Fisherman Khalid, 52, and his 40-year-old brother-in-law Shameer were hacked to death on Wednesday in the Thalassery area of Kannur district, allegedly by Babu, a member of the local drug mafia.
A third person, Shanib, 29, who was also attacked, is undergoing treatment at the Thallassery Cooperative Hospital, police said.
The three were attacked by a drug mafia gang for joining the government’s recent campaign against the drug menace in the state.
Shameer’s son, Shabeel, was brutally assaulted by the same gang the previous day for objecting to the sale of banned substances by them and was admitted to the hospital.
The murders occurred after the accused invited them on the pretext of peace talks regarding the assault.
Kerala CM expresses shock
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday expressed shock over the murders.
The gruesome murder comes amid an ongoing mass campaign against intoxicants and contraband substances in the state, he said, adding that strict legal action would be initiated against the culprits.
Vijayan said that thanks to the campaign, there have been many instances of people taking a stand against drug abuse and questioning of the sale of intoxicants.
“Drug mafia gangs are upset about it and such acts must be dealt with without any compromise. The whole society should wake up and work for it,” the chief minister said in a statement.
Stating that such crimes should be viewed as a challenge against the state, he said similar gangs would be rooted out through comprehensive investigations and coordinated interventions by the police and the Excise Department.
Society should be aware that those who join the fight against drugs should not be attacked this way, he said, adding that their family members would not be left helpless.
Also read: Kerala has launched yet another anti-drug campaign
“Let’s fight together to save our land and future generations from a disaster,” the chief minister said as he conveyed his condolence to the families of the deceased.
Three other people were already taken into police custody in relation to the murder. Jackson, Farhan, and Naveen from Nettur in Thalassery. All of them are in police custody.
In his dying declarations, Khalid said it was Babu and Jackson who had attacked them.
(With inputs from PTI)
