Three detained in connection with cop's murder, IS-link suspected

Three people have been detained in Kerala’s Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram in connection with the killing of a special sub-inspector of police from Tamil Nadu. According to police, they were in frequent touch with Khaja Moideen, the chief of Tamil Nadu’s IS-inspired module, and his associates.

Y Wilson, 57, was on duty at a Tamil Nadu-Kerala inter-state border check post on Market Road in Kanyakumari’s Kaliyakkavilai when two unknown assailants gunned him down on Wednesday night.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered by Tamil Nadu police, Wilson was first shot at and then stabbed multiple times. When the police personnel approached Wilson, the assailants threatened them. “Subsequently, they ran into a mosque and escaped from the other side. Based on CCTV footage, they were identified as Abdul Shaheem and Thoufeeq,” police said.

Also read | ISIS module case: NIA raids residences of suspects in TN, seizes devices

After killing Wilson, the duo fled to Kerala. While Thoufeeq is a native of Tamil Nadu’s Nagercoil, Abdul Shaheem is a native of Thiruvananthapuram. According to sources, Thoufeeq is also facing an attempt-to-murder case of BJP functionary MR Gandhi, and Abdul Shaheem is an associate of Moideen.

After Tamil Nadu police alerted their Kerala counterparts, 10 special teams were formed in the two states to arrest the two main accused. Sources in Kanyakumari police confirmed that they were seen in the Kaliyakavilla market region on Wednesday night before the murder. Police also suspect they are members of the IS-inspired module in south India.

Incidentally, the Delhi police on Thursday arrested 49-year-old Moideen, who had jumped bail in connection with the 2014 murder case of Hindu Munnani leader KP Suresh Kumar. Besides, Moideen’s associates, Syed Ali Nivas and Abdul Samad, were also arrested.

Moideen and his accomplices, who were on the run for two months, were planning terror attacks in the national capital and had an escape plan to Pakistan. The three detainees were in frequently contact with them, according to Kerala police.