Murder of student: police recover martial arts weapon, look for more suspects

The police are on the lookout for more students and their supporters who were allegedly part of an online conspiracy to attack Class X student Mohammed Shahabas who later succumbed to severe head injuries at Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode on March 1.

Police sources said more students were suspected of joining a social media group that planned the alleged attack on February 27 near a tuition centre at Thamarassery. The clash reportedly broke out after an argument during a farewell party at the tuition centre attended by students from two schools on February 23.

Sources said a complaint raised by a girl student was claimed to be the main reason that aggravated the arguments. Students from two schools reportedly formed separate gangs and Mohammed Shahabas, student of Vattoli M.J. Higher Secondary School in Eettil, was persuaded to join a gang. There were about 15 students at the crime spot.

Five students charged

Police sources said a martial arts weapon used for the attack, Nunchaku, four mobile phones, and a laptop were recovered from the suspects’ houses on Sunday. As per the post-mortem report, the attack using Nunchaku, a dual-section metal stick, had broken the skull of the victim. The lethal weapon was reportedly in the possession of the father of an attacker. Efforts were on to recover more weapons used by the attackers, they said. Five students have been charged with murder under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police officers said they also received complaints that the parents of some of students were involved in the incident. It is alleged that the parents were aware of the conspiracy and some of them witnessed the assault without attempting to prevent it. Statements of some of them would be recorded soon, the police said.

Father’s demand

Iqbal, father of Shahabas, told mediapersons that it was a planned murder and a few parents were suspected of being in the know about the incident. He said one parent was suspected of having connections with the murderers of Revolutionary Marxist Party leader T.P. Chandrasekharan. Mr. Iqbal expressed concern about the chances of the probe being scuttled with the political influence of the suspects.

“I have faith in the government and the court. Two of the accused are children of a policeman and a teacher. The probe could be derailed,” Mr. Iqbal told the media on Sunday. He said there should not be any move for revenge on the part of students and the issues should come to an end.

Police sources said they had collected closed circuit television camera footage from more locations. The statements of a few more merchants and eyewitnesses would be recorded.