Moulavi case: CBI team in Malappuram

By Our Special Correspondent

KOZHIKODE, NOV. 28. The CBI squad investigating `the Chekannur Moulavi case' is expected to examine tomorrow the site, where the Islamic scholar is believed to have been buried after he was done to death by suspected religious zealots.

The burial site is believed to be at Arur in Pulikkal panchayat between Ramanattukara and Kondotty in Malappuram district.

Asked if the body of the Moulavi would be exhumed tomorrow, a CBI official, contacted on the telephone, said, ``that is likely''. He said the two persons arrested yesterday in connection with the case had been brought to Malappuram district today and were being questioned. V.V. Hamza Sakhafi (31) and Hamsa (27), both natives of Malappuram district, fell into the CBI net yesterday giving the first breakthrough in the case, investigated first by the State Crime Branch police for three years from 1993 and later by the CBI.

Reports that the body of the Moulavi is likely to be exhumed have evoked considerable interest in political and religious circles here. The remains of the body may give vital clues that would help the CBI nab the others behind the incident.

Though there had been speculation that Islamic militants were involved, the police and even the CBI, in the early phase of their inquiry, had failed to unravel the mystery. The Moulavi's unorthodox views on religious matters had incensed the militant elements in his community and it was suspected that he was kidnapped and killed.

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Section  : Southern States
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