Police in Malappuram's Tirur arrested five people early Wednesday morning after a 19-year-old woman allegedly contracted a criminal crew to kidnap, rob, and murder her boyfriend.
Police identified the prime accused as Safana, 19, a resident of Pattambi in Palakkad district. Seeking to sever ties with her partner, Safana enlisted two female associates from Tirur—Nadia, 20, and Rabiba, 25—alongside two men with extensive criminal records, 28-year-old Irshad and 25-year-old Azharudheen. The victim, also a resident of Pattambi, survived the midnight ambush and alerted law enforcement from a riverbank where his attackers had dumped him.
The trap closed on the victim late Tuesday night. Investigators revealed that the accused lured the man from Pattambi to Tirur under false pretenses. Once he arrived, an operative met him, offered to guide him directly to Safana, and convinced him to board a motorcycle. He rode straight into an ambush.
At a secluded transfer point, the gang intercepted him. The assailants forced him into an awaiting car at gunpoint and subjected him to a violent assault inside the moving vehicle. They stripped him of his mobile phone, attempted to end his life, and discarded his battered body along the roadside near the Thazhepalam riverbank before speeding away.
Yet the victim held on. Mobilizing despite severe injuries, he managed to contact emergency authorities. A pursuit unit led by Tirur Inspector Jaleel Karuthedath intercepted and apprehended all five suspects near Thazhepalam during the predawn hours of Wednesday.
Following their arrest, police escorted the five accused before the Tirur Magistrate Court, which remanded every suspect to judicial custody. Investigators are now preparing formal charges centering on criminal conspiracy, abduction, robbery, and attempted murder.
The two men recruited for this attack carry extensive criminal dossiers across the coastal belt. We moved swiftly to secure all five before they could flee the jurisdiction.
Jaleel Karuthedath, Tirur Police Inspector
The involvement of Irshad and Azharudheen has intensified the investigation. Police records confirm that both men previously served prison terms and face open cases involving narcotics trafficking, violent assault, and attempted murder along Kerala's coastal sector. Both had also faced preventive sanctions under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, commonly known as KAAPA.
| Case Parameter | Official Status |
|---|---|
| Accused | Safana (19), Nadia (20), Rabiba (25), Irshad (28), Azharudheen (25) |
| Primary Location | Tirur & Thazhepalam riverbank, Malappuram |
| Investigating Officer | Inspector Jaleel Karuthedath, Tirur Police |
| Prior Records Cited | KAAPA proceedings, narcotics trade, attempted murder (Irshad & Azharudheen) |
| Custodial Status | Remanded to judicial custody by Tirur Magistrate Court |
Tirur police are currently mapping the exact financial and logistical trail between Safana and the enforcement crew, with formal custody petitions scheduled to be filed before the magistrate in the coming days.