Kerala murder: Faisal relatives under police lens

MALAPPURAM: The team probing the mysterious murder of Faisal, a 32-year-old Muslim convert at Kodinhi in the district has zeroed in on the statements and phone calls of some of his family members. Sources said the police had made some headway in the probe regarding the conspiracy which ended up in the brutal murder. They have questioned four of Faisal’s close Hindu relatives who had allegedly threatened him several times after his conversion to Islam a few months ago. His mother Meenakshi’s statements also pointed fingers at them.

“The investigation is on the right track. We have taken statements from Faisal’s family members, friends and others and are verifying them. We have detained none,” said DySP P.M. Pradeep Kumar supervising the investigation. It has emerged that one of Faisal’s close relatives, an associate of a right-wing organisation, had threatened and tried to prevent him from converting. He had also sought help from the VHP to stop Mr Faisal converting his wife and children. After embracing Islam six months ago while he was working in Saudi Arabia, Mr Faisal had also converted his wife and three children, and this was irked some within his family.

Faisal was found murdered in the early hours of Saturday by a roadside in Kodinhi Farook Nagar hours after he went out to the nearby railway station with an auto rickshaw to pick up his parents-in-law who came to visit him. He was to fly back Riyadh on Sunday where he worked as a driver for five years. The police and residents of Kodinhi have joined hands to avert any untoward incidents in the area. An all-party meeting called for maintain peace and prevent provocations of any kind. Police, revenue officers and leaders of various political parties, were present at the meet.