The Mangaluru police have arrested eight people, including the prime accused, in connection with the murder of Bajrang Dal activist Prashanth Poojary in Moodabidri in coastal Karnataka.
Confirming the same, Mangaluru City Police Commissioner S Murugan said the arrested include Mohammad Haneef (36); Mohammed Ilyas (27); Ibrahim liyaqat (26) and Abdul Rasheed (36). Subsequently, Mangaluru Police commissioner S Murugan said in a Press conference that they had arrested four more persons Mohammed Sharif (42), a resident of Todar, Mustafa Kavoor (28), Mohammed Mustafa (25) of Kinnipadavu, Bajpe and Kabeer (28) of Kaikamba in connection with the murder of the activist taking the total number of arrested people to eight. S Murugan said that these four along with Haneef, who was arrested earlier, were directly involved in the crime. He also said that there are a few more accused and police are in search of them.
Regarding messages circulating in WhatsApp and other social media regarding Prashant’s murder, he said, “There are astonishing rumours circulating in social media. Mangaluru is a sensitive area and no one should give any importance to such messages. law and order is stable in the city and police are taking proper action. A few miscreants are involved in this and police are tracking them down. People should ignore such messages on social media. There is no cause for fear. If people come across anything suspicious, they should inform the police directly.”
According to police, Prashanth had participated in campaigns against cattle trafficking and illegal slaughter houses. It is alleged that in a public speech, Haneef, had vowed to take revenge against such people, including Prashanth Poojary.
On October 9, Prashanth, a flower vendor by profession, was hacked to death by six bike-borne miscreants, in Moodabidri. The incident had led to communal tension in the region with the police deploying additional forces.
According to police sources, Prashanth was also campaigning against cattle theft and cow slaughter. He was a key member of ‘Save Cow’ campaign. Eyewitness in this murder case Vaman Poojary (a Coconut vendor) committed suicide after he was repeatedly threatened by unidentified people.
Prashanth had busted the illegal slaughter house and demanded a ban on beef. There were protests in Moodabidri town against Prashanth and highhandedness of his group.