Three youths, who were arrested by the Commercial Street police for robbing and selling mobile phones, were found to be those who had stabbed a 19-year-old boy from Kerala.
On October 12, the accused — Mohammed Zubair, 19, Iqbal Ahmed Sharieff, 20, and Mohammed Abrar, 19 — intercepted Goutham, who had come to the city from Kerala to work in a courier company at Majestic three days earlier. He and his friend Vysakh R. were returning home after dinner at K.G. Road when they stopped to take a selfie. The accused intercepted them and tried to snatch the phone. They allegedly stabbed Goutham when he tried to stop them.
Goutham sustained a deep cut on his chest and died on the spot following which the trio sped away.
The police recovered 17 mobile phones worth ₹1.5 lakh from them. “With their arrest, we have cracked a murder case and seven mobile robbery cases,” said a police officer. The accused would travel across the city on a two-wheeler and target people in isolated areas.
While the Upparpet police were investigating the murder, the Commercial Street police arrested the trio while they were trying to sell stolen mobile phones near Bowring Hospital.
The trio reportedly confessed to the murder during interrogation. The accused have been booked in seven robbery cases and the murder case.