KOCHI: A day after the body of a 22-year-old was found shoved in a duct at an apartment in Kakkanad, police nabbed the prime suspect in the case from Kasaragod. Police suspect that a dispute connected with drugs probably led to the murder.
The suspect, identified as Kozhikode native Arshad, a youth who used to stay with the victim, was nabbed while trying to escape to Karnataka through the Kasaragod border.
Confirming the development, city police commissioner CH Nagaraju said the man was picked up from Manjeswaram with the help of Kasaragod police.
Nagaraju said an argument over a drug deal must have led to the murder. He said the accused would be brought to Kochi by Wednesday late evening.
According to sources, the accused was nabbed with his friend, who was assisting him to flee from the police. "After realizing that our team at Kozhikode will not be able to reach the accused in time, we passed the information about him to Kasaragod police. When they intercepted them, they recovered nearly a kilo of ganja, MDMA and hashish oil from them," said an officer.
The case pertains to the death of Sajeev Krishna (22), whose body was found wrapped in a bedsheet in a duct in an apartment on Tuesday. His friends, who returned from a vacation, had to use a duplicate key to enter the flat after their efforts to contact him failed. Police said the cause of provocation or the motive that led to the murder can be known only after questioning Arshad thoroughly.
Commissioner Nagaraju said they were investigating if any more persons are involved in the murder. "Arshad has a theft case against him as well. He was accused of robbing a jewelry shop at Kondotty about a month ago. He had been absconding in that case and was hiding here," said Nagaraju.
He said the extent of decomposition of the body suggests that Krishna might have been killed about 48 hours before his body was found.
The officer added that although no synthetic substances were recovered from the flat, indications, including smell, suggested the possibility of people frequenting the flat for drug use.
Meanwhile, Amjad, one of the roommates of the victim, told media that Arshad had known the victim for just a fortnight. He said Arshad had come as a guest of another family who stayed in another apartment in the complex about two weeks ago. He said since they were close with the family, they quickly became friends with Arshad.
He claimed that when the three of them went for a tour, Arshad started to stay with Sajeev. Amjad said he was in touch with Sajeev till two days before his body was found. He said he used to regularly call him and that he had his suspicions when he started receiving only text messages.
Meanwhile, the commissioner added that the police were not alerted though suspicious activities were happening at the flat where the murder took place. This indicates a communication gap which needs to be bridged, he said, adding, "In case they see any unusual activities, residents' associations have to alert the police. Then, we will be able to conduct searches which can prevent such incidents."
