Mangaluru: In a significant development, third additional district and sessions court judge Sunitha SG on Monday sentenced a person to life imprisonment in connection with a murder reported in 2017. The convict earlier secured bail but subsequently absconded, evading court proceedings for years. Acting on a warrant, police traced and arrested him, producing him before the court. The convict is Abdul Rahiman Suhail.The case dates back to Oct 4, 2017. Around 7.55 pm, the victim Zubair was speaking with his friend Iliyas when a group of assailants allegedly attacked him using a sword and machete. When Iliyas attempted to intervene and prevent the assault, he too was attacked and sustained serious injuries. Following the incident, a case was registered at Ullal police station under Sections 143, 148, 324, 326, 302, 120(B) and 149 of the IPC. The investigation, led by then police inspector Gopikrishna KR, resulted in the arrest of the convict, including Abdul Rahiman Suhail, Nizam alias Nizamuddin, Tajuddin, Mustaf alias Mohammed Mustafa, Altaf, Asif alias Manda Asif, Naseer and Kadappara Naseer. A chargesheet was subsequently filed before the court. Third additional district and sessions judge BB Jakti on April 20, 2022, sentenced three of the accused to life imprisonment, acquitted two others, while one accused passed away during the course of the trial. The first suspect Abdul Rahiman Suhail, remained absconding and failed to appear before the court. Following the arrest of Suhail hailing from Mukkacheri, he was produced before the court, which sentenced him to life imprisonment. Public prosecutors Narayana Sherigar and Mohan Kumar B represented the state.
