Karnataka: Fourth accused arrested in Surathkal murder case

Police have arrested one more person in the December 24 case involving the murder of a Muslim trader in Mangaluru.

Mangaluru: Karnataka Police Tuesday arrested another accused in the murder of a 43-year-old trader in Karnataka. Abdul Jaleel was hacked to death on Saturday evening in Surathkal area on the outskirts of Mangaluru.

The arrested accused has been identified as Lakshmisha Devadiga (28), a resident of Krishnapura 4th block, Surathkal. His is the fourth arrest in the case. Earlier, police had arrested Shailesh (21) of Krishnapura, Saveen Kanchan (24) of Hejmady and Pawan (23) of Krishnapura.

Jaleel was stabbed multiple times on Saturday evening outside his grocery store by two masked men. He had breathed his last while being rushed to the hospital. Meanwhile, prohibitory orders in four areas of Mangaluru city were extended till 6 am on December 29 following the murder, Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar said in a statement here on Tuesday.

The clampdown under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) had been imposed in Surathkal, Bajpe, Kavoor and Panambur police station limits till December 26. Police said assembly of five or more persons, holding of public meetings, jathas, processions and carrying of firearms, explosives and crackers have been forbidden during the period.

Shouting provocative slogans and any activities that hurt the sentiments of different sections of people have been prohibited. The incident had come up for discussion on Monday during the ongoing winter session of the Karnataka assembly in Belagavi where opposition leaders tried to pin down the ruling BJP over rising cases of communal murders.