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Kasargod, Aug 14: Muhammed Noushad (34) and Mohammed Rameez (25), residents of Kottappuram near Neeleshwaram were arrested by the police on charges of murdering NRI businessman A B Abdul Salam Haji at his residence at Vellappu near Thrikaripur on August 7.
Circle Inspector T. N. Sajeevan said five others are still at large in the case.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kanhangad P. Thamban said that the duo, one of them said to be relative of the slain businessman, would be produced before a court on Wednesday, he said.

Suffocated

Salam Haji was believed to have been suffocated to death by a gang of eight robbers, who barged into his house on the night of August 7 as the family members were gearing up to celebrate the Id-ul-Fitre that fell on August 9.

The burglars gagged up the 58-year old Dubai-based businessman while hand-cuffing three others members, including two women, inside the house as they forced their entry into the house around 11 pm.

Looting

The motive of the burglars was to loot the affluent family of their valuables, the police official said.

The robbers made good with 1,299 Dirhams, Rs. 30,000 in cash besides snatching 20 sovereigns of gold ornaments worn by the family members.

They also took away costly mobile phones, a laptop and ATM card from the house.

ADGP (North) N. Shankar Reddy on Sunday had visited the house to review the progress of the police investigation and returned expressing satisfaction over the ongoing investigation, reports here had said.

Friends mourn

The murder of Haji, who was for a long time president of the KMCC’s Trikkarippur unit in Dubai, has saddened his friends and community members, because he was killed on the eve of inaugurating a new free dialysis centre for kidney patients from the area, especially returnees from the Gulf.

However, there could be other angles to the murder, especially business rivalry with UAE-based partners. Police is also looking at the recent land deals of the deceased in Kerala and the alleged involvement of ‘quotation gangs’ in the murder

According to sources, the deceased was undergoing treatment for throat cancer and the murder happened when he had started recovering from the disease. He used to visit the UAE but was mostly stationed in his hometown.

“We at the KMCC are worried about the safety of non-resident Keralites and their families living in Kerala because such high profile crimes are happening again and again. The victim was an active community worker and a supporter of many charity initiatives here and back home.

“After coming to the UAE, he made money in business and built a dream house in Trikkarippur. It is unfortunate that he was murdered in the dream house that he built with much passion,” said Hussain R Haji Edachakkai, Vice President of Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre’s (KMCC) UAE committee.

The murdered man was head of KMCC’s Trikkarippur unit in the UAE.

“Abdul Salam Haji planned to open a dialysis centre in Trikkarippur with five machines for free or subsidised dialysis for kidney patients. Many Gulf-returned expatriates in the area suffer from kidney problems and it is sad that he was murdered before he could inaugurate the centre,” he added.

Abdul Salam Haji and family lived in a huge house of 22 rooms with all high tech security systems like remote controlled gate and CCTV inside the house. However, these systems were either not working or were tampered with before he was murdered.

According to the statement of the two youngsters in police custody, the robbers did not intend to murder Abdul Salam and that he died accidentally from suffocation. The masking tape that they used to gag him to prevent him from shouting for help, caused the suffocation, according to reports.

Kerala’s ‘Mathrubhoomi’ newspaper has reported that all the gang members were from the victim’s neighbourhood. Local police said two members of the gang wer arrested from Kottappuram near Neeleshwaram in Kasargod.

According to the police, the gang travelled in two vehicles. While the robbery was progressing, one group contacted the other on the mobile phone and it was the call prompted the police to investigate signals from the adjacent mobile phone towers. The gang used two SIM cards purchased from Neeleshwaram. Investigators spotted the gang after tracing the mobile phone signal. The mobile phone was used only for the robbery operation and then abandoned.

According to sources, there are three possible reasons for the murder. One was robbery, second business rivalry related to Abdul Salam Haji’s recent real estate deals and the third an alleged business dispute with someone close to his family.