15 booked for murder of driver in Bantwal

Mangaluru: Bantwal Rural police registered a case against 15 people in connection with the murder of pickup driver Abdul Rahiman,32, a resident of Kolthamajalu, Badagabellooru village, Bantwal, and secretary of the local Juma Masjid, who was hacked to death on Tuesday.In a complaint, Mohammad Nisar stated that while he was on his way to Polali, he received a call informing him that Abdul Rahiman and Kalandar Shafi, 29, were brutally assaulted with sharp weapons at Irakodi in Kuriyala village. Upon reaching the spot, Nisar found Rahiman lying on the ground with serious injuries. Shafi, was critically injured, and was shifted to a private hospital in Mangaluru.En route, Shafi informed the complainant that the incident took place when he, along with Rahiman, loaded sand near a river between 3 pm and 3.30 pm, and when they were unloading it near the house of Rajeevi. A group of about 15 men armed with a sword, knife, and rod arrived. They allegedly dragged Rahiman from the driver's seat and launched a violent attack on him. Shafi claimed he too was assaulted when he tried to intervene. He told police that the assailants were known to him.The FIR named Deepak as the accused, along with Sumith and 13 others. Rahiman succumbed to his injuries shortly after, and his body was later shifted to a private hospital in Deralakatte for postmortem. The incident sparked tension in the area, with increased police presence to prevent any untoward incidents. Protesters gathered outside the hospital, expressing anger against the Congress-led state govt for failing to control the situation.A case was filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — 103, 109, 118(1), 118(2), 190, 191(1), 191(2), and 191(3). Investigations are ongoing. Police said that five teams have been formed to nab the accused.