Wayanad man stages accident to kill auto driver on suspicion of black magic

Kalpetta: Alert witnesses and a foolproof investigation by police have unravelled a planned murder which otherwise would have been written off as a routine accident death. As a result, 25-year-old Sumilshad and his younger brother Ajinshad, 20, both natives of Chundel, were arrested in case for the death of KP Navas, 40, a native of Kappumkunnu, near Chundel.

Navas, an auto driver, was killed at 8.30 am on  Monday when a jeep rammed his autorickshaw. Though local people rushed him to a nearby hospital, doctors confirmed that he was brought dead.

Acting on a complaint from relatives and based on the suspicions raised by the public, police launched a probe. Eyewitnesses who saw the 'accident' told police about their suspicion over Sumilshad's behaviour following the collision; shop owners at Chundel also told cops about the bitter altercations between Sumilshad and Navas after the former accused the autorickshaw driver of performing black magic on his father. As police launched the probe, Sumilshad was their prime suspect.

The public fallout between the two was caused after some items were found buried in front of the restaurant run by Sumilshad's father. Sumilshad alleged that Navas was behind the sorcery. Despite Navas denying his involvement, Sumilshad strongly believed that the move was part of a conspiracy by Navas and other business rivals to impact the restaurant's business adversely.

While the onlooker's vigil helped the police in their investigation, some people's vigilantism caused some headaches, too. A mob attacked the restaurant run by Sumilshad’s father and broke the window to show their anger.

On the day of the murder, eyewitnesses saw Sumilshad waiting for a phone call in front of a mosque near the 'accident' spot on the Estate Road at Chundel. When a phone call came, he started the jeep and rushed off. What raised their suspicion further was that the Sumilshad was waiting at an area away from his hotel in Chundel town. 

When police checked his mobile phone call records, they found that his brother Ajinshad told him that Navas had left the autostand and was coming towards the spot. Eyewitnesses also told police that soon after the collision, Sumilshad was seen making a phone call, though he had suffered minor injuries. He also refused to help transfer Navas to the hospital. 

While the jeep was climbing up the road, the three-wheeler was coming down the slope. Though the road was wide enough, the jeep veered into the autorickshaw's path and rammed into it, killing Navas.

Vythiri Inspector Viswambaran M told Onmanorama that police have collected sufficient evidence to establish Navas' murder. “We have Sumilshad's call data records of Sumilshad, CCTV visuals showing him at the Chundel town, and also statements of witnesses,” he said. Viswambaran also said that both the accused have already confessed to the crime.

Navas's relatives alleged that Sumilshad tried to kill the auto driver several times after the public altercation over sorcery. However, police said that black magic was only one of the reasons behind the murder.  

With police calling it a murder, a postmortem was performed on Navas' mortal remains at the Government Medical College Hospital at Mananthavadi. His last rites were held at the Juma Masjid Chundel on Tuesday.