Kozhikode: One more student has been arrested in the murder of Muhammad Shahabas, a Class 10 student from Thamarassery in Kerala’s Kozhikode, taking the total number of arrests in the case to six. Shahabas was killed, succumbing to injuries he suffered from a deadly assault, during a conflict between two sections of students over an issue at a tuition centre that swelled rapidly. The new arrestee, also a 10th grader and involved in the students’ conflict, was taken into custody by the police on Tuesday morning. With this, the number of arrests has reached six.
Police said that the arrestee will be questioned in detail while Shahabas’ father’s allegation of involvement of others, other than students, in the conflict will also be probed. On Monday, the police had questioned seven more students. The statements were recorded after questioning students from two schools and a tuition centre who were suspected of having been in the area at the time of the violence. The police mainly questioned the students about the presence and involvement of outside adults or the parents of the accused in the violent incident.
The police again conducted a search at the main accused's house, and an investigation was launched against his parent. They said that if necessary, the parent may also be made an accused in the case.
Thamarassery DySP K Susheer said that more people will be questioned in the coming days. The police are investigating the criminal background of the arrested main accused's father and whether he is involved in the violence. There is a case against his father with the Thamarassery police, while other police stations are also investigating more cases against him. This was after a photo of the person appeared in which he is with TK Rajeesh, an accused in the TP Chandrasekharan murder case.
District Rural Police Chief KE Baiju had said that it was understood that the incident in which Shahbaz was murdered was well-planned and that the perpetrators were not thinking like children.