Six accused youth, including the main accused, Davood Hakim, who allegedly murdered an entrepreneur, 38-year-old Abdul Lateef, in broad daylight in Mulki on June 5, 2020, have been defying orders from the court, including the apex court, to arrest them.
The Supreme Court (SC) in a petition filed by the widow, Mubeen Lateef, through her advocate Shekhar Devasa, challenging Karnataka High Court’s order on releasing the main accused Hakim on bail, had ordered the ‘concerned police to take him (Hakim) into custody’ if the latter does not surrender before the court within two weeks.
The SC had passed its judgement on January 11 this year. When Hakim failed to surrender before the court at the end of two weeks, Mulki police made no effort to arrest him.
The district sessions court, based on the apex court’s judgement, issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Hakim.
“Mulki police have remained mute witnesses even as the public keeps tipping them on Hakim’s visits to his timber yard and hotel in Mulki,” said Mubeen, a practising advocate in Mangaluru.
A month prior to the murder of Abdul Lateef, my father Badrul Muneer and brother Hiyaz K H had been stabbed with a screwdriver by one Nissar, for forcing him to remove his two-wheeler blocking Dargah Road in Mulki. Mulki police, instead of registering a case under section 307 of IPC (attempt to murder), brokered peace between the two warring groups, Mubeen told DH.
“On June 5, 2020, my father and brother were attacked with lethal weapons and bottles by four youth near Vijaya Bank. My brother and my father who sustained multiple stab injuries were rushed to a hospital. My husband who came rushing to the scene was stabbed multiple times for no fault of his. By the end of my four-month-long Idda (mourning period), all ten accused men including Hakim, named in the FIR, were released on bail by the court,” said Mubeen.
Embarking on a mission to seek justice, Mubeen, with the help of advocate Balakrishna, filed a petition and got the High Court to cancel the bail of all eight accused youth (an accused Nissar had failed to secure bail). Nearly five months after the High Court’s judgement, Mulki police arrested Vafa in Padubidri recently. A week later, the remaining accused youth, including Asim, Siddiq and Razim surrendered before the court.
Basheer and Mayyadi, named as accused in the charge sheet, are yet to be arrested. Soon, both Basheer and Mayyadi were involved in an attempt to murder case (161/2021) filed in Bhatkal town police station.
Mubeen, who intends to file a contempt petition in High Court, also intends to take legal recourse on including Hakim’s father Timber alias Mohammed Bava, in the charge sheet filed by Mulki police.
DCP (Crime and Traffic) B P Dinesh Kumar, when contacted, promised to talk to Mulki police.
Mulki police in the past were taken to task by the Childline for not providing a vehicle to a victim in a POCSO case and escort for special prosecutor arguing the only case under Karnataka Control of Organized Crimes Act, 2000, in a Mysuru court.