Kasaragod: The mysterious death of expatriate businessman and Kasaragod native M C Abdul Gafoor Haji, aged 55, has been ruled a murder. A special investigation team has arrested four individuals, including a woman known as Jinnumma, who is believed to have practiced witchcraft, her husband, and two other women involved in the crime.
An 11-member police team, led by DCRB DySP K J Johnson and Bekal Inspector K P Shine, under the supervision of District Police Chief D. Shilpa, arrested the suspects. The main suspects are Ubaid (38), Shemeema (38) known as Jinnumma, Asneefa (34), and Ayisha (40).
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According to the investigation, the suspects killed Gafoor Haji under the pretext of witchcraft and took a large amount of jewellery from his home. The police are now focusing on tracking down those who bought the stolen gold, with reports suggesting that some of it was sold to local jewellers. Statements from gold traders in the area are being recorded.
Suspicious death and missing gold
Gafoor Haji was found dead on 14 April 2023, under suspicious circumstances. He had been living alone at the time of his death. The family noticed the disappearance of 596 pieces of jewelry, including gold Gafoor had purchased on loan. These missing items included both personal jewelry and pieces from relatives.
The absence of the gold led his son, Muzammil, to file a complaint with the police and the Chief Minister. Following this, the Bekal police launched an investigation. On 27 April 2023, Gafoor's body was exhumed, and the postmortem revealed head injuries, confirming the suspicion of foul play.
Role of witchcraft and financial irregularities
Following a detailed investigation, it was revealed that Jinnumma, a witchcraft practitioner, and her second husband were suspected of orchestrating the murder and the theft of Gafoor's jewelry. Detailed investigation showed large sums of money deposited into the bank accounts of Jinnumma’s associates. Some of her aides were also found to have paid off vehicle loans in full, using large amounts of money in a single transaction.
The police also discovered that Jinnumma and Gafoor had exchanged several WhatsApp messages prior to the incident. It was also revealed that Gafoor had previously given Rs 10 lakh and gold to the woman in connection with her alleged witchcraft services.
Published: 05 Dec 2024, 01:20 pm IST
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