The Crime Branch team investigating the murders of Youth Congress workers Kripesh and Sarath Lal at Kallyott, near Periye, here on February 17, arrested the absconding accused, A. Subheesh, when he arrived at the Mangaluru airport from Sharjah.
Subheesh, the eighth accused, was arrested on Thursday when the local court at Kanhangad was to consider the probe team’s plea to issue a red corner notice to extradite him from the Gulf country he had gone to after the murder.
According to the investigation team, he was involved in criminal conspiracy and the murder.
He was hired by A. Peethambaran, the prime accused, as “he had experience in operations,” the team’s affidavit submitted at the High Court earlier noted.
13 arrested
With the arrest of Subheesh, the number of arrested in the case rose to 13, including CPI(M) Uduma area secretary K. Manikandan and Periye local committee secretary N. Balakrishnan, who had been released on bail. Gijin, an accused, had confessed that Subheesh burnt the clothes of all the gang members, except Gijin, at a place near Velutholi. Peethambaran, Saji George, Gijin, and Subheesh had attacked Sarath Lal with weapons, as per the probe team.
The police said that Subheesh, a headload worker of the CITU at Periye, had taken the assailants to his home at Velutholi and helped them change and destroy the blood-stained clothes.
Later, Manikandan and Balakrishnan had helped them escape.
Subheesh had left for the Gulf within two days of the murders.
Crime Branch move
The Crime Branch had on May 14 already moved the court with a plea to issue red corner notice for help to nab the accused with the help of the Interpol.
The court was to consider the plea on Thursday when he was nabbed.