The police in Karnataka’s Udupi district on Sunday announced the arrests of three people on charges of murdering their employer allegedly over financial disputes the previous day.
The police identified the deceased as Faizal Saiffuddin, 48, who ran AKMS Tours and Travels in Manipal, and the arrested men as Mohammed Faisal Khan, 27, Mohammed Sharif, 37, and Abdul Shukoor, 43, all of whom were residents of Udupi district and drivers employed by the victim.
Saiffuddin, who was a rowdy-sheeter with 18 criminal cases registered against him, was hacked to death at his home on September 27.
Hariram Shankar, Superintendent of Police, Udupi, said, “Saiffuddin was attacked with a sword and blood stains were found in many places of his house.”
According to a police complaint filed by the victim’s son, Faisal Khan and Sharif had taken Saiffuddin to Mangaluru to discuss matters related to the bus business, but they returned to the house where Saiffuddin lived at around 10 am. The killing took place 15 minutes later, the complaint further said.
Saifuddin had owned more than 35 buses and recently sold many of them. He was operating a few buses in the locality and was planning to expand his business in the Udupi region, according to the police.
In 2020, Saiffuddin, Sharif, and Shukoor were arrested over the murder of Vashista Yadav, who owned a hotel.
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Shukoor spent more than four years in prison and was unhappy that Saiffuddin did not support his family during the period, despite having worked for him for 10 years, said a police officer.
The other two drivers also had issues with Saiffuddin, the police said.
The police said the assailants had not brought any weapons but used weapons that were present at the crime scene.