Malappuram: The police and prosecution overcame major challenges in the investigation and trial of the Shaba Sherif murder case, securing the conviction of the three accused – Shaibin Ashraf (37), Shihabudeen (39), and Nishad (38).

Shaibin, a businessman from Nilambur, abducted Shaba Sherif (60), a traditional medicine practitioner, from Mysuru in August 2019. He held him captive at a house in Mukkanda, where Sherif was tortured and later murdered in October 2020. The body was dismembered and dumped in the Chaliyar River. According to Shaibin’s accomplices, he kidnapped Sherif to obtain the ingredients for a natural medicine used to treat haemorrhoids, intending to start a clinic and earn substantial profits.

Nilambur DySP Saju K Abraham, who supervised the investigation, noted that Hollywood films influenced Shaibin in his attempts to dispose of the body. "Despite extensive navy-led searches, the body was never recovered. Two floods in the Chaliyar River further complicated recovery efforts. Yet, we built a strong case using scientific methods," he said.

Despite the lack of eyewitnesses and the victim’s body, the state police managed a strong investigation using forensic and cyber evidence. A crucial breakthrough came from a video recorded by the case approver on August 16, 2020. "The footage clearly showed Shaba Sherif being held captive at the residence of the first accused, Shaibin. We provided evidence confirming that," said E M Krishnan Nampoothiri, the Public Prosecutor.

Investigators also recovered 42 strands of Shaba Sherif’s hair from the house, which became key forensic evidence proving his unlawful detention. "Although the time gap between the murder and the investigation made it difficult to retrieve CCTV footage and mobile tower data, scientific evidence helped us close all loopholes," Nampoothiri added. Inspector of Police P Vishnu, who led the investigation, emphasised that digital and forensic data were critical in proving the kidnapping and murder. The prosecution presented 80 witnesses, 273 documents, and 56 pieces of material evidence.