A Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by District Police Chief (Kozhikode rural) R. Karappasami on Friday confirmed the death of Panthirikkara native K. Irshad Nazar, who was abducted by a gold smuggling gang three weeks ago. The 26-year-old’s death was confirmed on the basis of a DNA test.
The case witnessed an unexpected twist when two of the previously arrested persons, Jinad Mohammed Kutty, 31, and Shaheel Haneefa, 26, reportedly revealed to the police that Irshad jumped into a river near Koyilandy in an attempt to escape from their custody. Further verification of the puzzling statement helped the SIT check in detail a recent unnatural death case in the area and quickly crack the mystery behind the latest incident.
In the detailed probe, it was found that the body of Irshad, recovered from the Kadaloor river in a decomposed state on July 17, was mistakenly cremated by another family after confusing his remains with those of another missing man named Deepak from Kozhikode’s Meppayur village. Both of them had similar physical features that reportedly misled the family and ended their search for Deepak. Police sources said there was no clue yet about Deepak.
