Murder of goon: No arrests yet

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The City Police are yet to nab the four persons suspected to have committed the murder of notorious goon Shaji, alias Kannadi Shaji. The police feel that the suspects, Krishnakumar, Saneesh and Suresh, along with an unidentified person, might have escaped to other states following the execution. The suspects were identified based on the statements of Ajith, who was riding pillion with Shaji on a motorcycle when they were attacked.  The police said that even though they were probing into the murder based on the statements given by Ajith, they had not bought his statements entirely. They are also probing into the possibilities of a conspiracy involved in the case as the victim Shaji and prime accused Krishnakumar were once close acquaintances. Meanwhile, the city police have launched an intensive drive under the directive of City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham to nab wanted criminals, especially goons, in the city. Two goondas landed in the custody of the police during the drive. The persons who landed in the custody of the Vanchiyoor Police have been identified as Uma Shankar, 27, and Kannan, 25, of Kaithamukku near Vanchiyoor.  According to Crime Sub-Inspector Mohanan, of Vanchiyoor Police, both of them were wanted on charges of attempt to murder K Mohanan, the secretary of Ananthasai Balasadanam orphanage, which sheltered children at Kaithamukku. They were accused of barging into the orphanage and attacking Mohanan in front of the inmates. The attack was connected to another sensational murder case that occurred in the capital city in April 2008.  The orphanage was run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the attack was suspected to be in retaliation to the murder of Vishnu, a local leader of CPM at Kaithamukku, a week before the attack. Vishnu was allegedly murdered by a group of RSS activists, who came on motorcycles wearing helmets, in April 2008. This incident had led to the attack on Mohanan in a similar fashion. The accomplices of Vishnu did not stop there and they went on to murder an another RSS activist Renjith, a resident of Mannanthala.  Both Umashankar and Kannan were produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody.