Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jul 20: The fourth additional sessions court at Mangaluru, on Thursday July 19, came to the conclusion that two of the accused named in the case pertaining to the murder of Candle Santhu from Polali have been proved guilty of the crime.

The persons found guilty happen to be Iqbal from Bunder Mangaluru and Farooq from Banglegudde, Karkala. The court stated that the quantum of their sentences would be pronounced on Friday. Both the accused are currently in judicial custody.

Candle Santhu

Candle Santhu alias Santosh had in the past been identified with Polali Ananthu gang. Santhu, one of whose legs had been fractured in an accident and hence he had to limp, was sitting over a culvert near his home on February 18, 2009, at around 9.30 am when miscreants who came in a Scorpio and another vehicle chased Santhu with lethal weapons in hand. Santhu was hacked to death with swords and the killers had returned in the vehicles in which they had arrived.

The Scorpio vehicle used for the murder was found abandoned by the side of Adyar rivulet, four days later. The police, during investigation, had named 12 persons as accused. Out of them, Madoor Isubu was killed when in prison. Madoor Ismail had died of cardiac arrest. Suleiman alias Khader from Kukkundur was killed at Karkala while Muhammed Kabir from Vamanjoor was murdered at Vamanjoor. Other accused, Abbas Bantwal, Isac Bantwal, and Habeed, are still at large.

The case had been registered in the rural police station here. The then police circle inspector, Nanjunde Gowda, had investigated the case and filed chargesheet. Public prosecutor, Harishchandra Udyavar, had appeared in the case on behalf of the prosecution.