Kollam: In a swift operation, police on Sunday arrested all 10 involved in the sensational murder of gangster Aluva Athul, who was hacked to death on national highway 66 between Karunagappally and Alappuzha on Saturday. The arrests were made within hours following an intensive multidistrict manhunt involving several police teams, said officials.Those arrested were identified as Aneer Khan (32) alias Veerappan, Noufal (30) alias Mannana Noufal, Hussain (31) and Ali Ummer (24), of Kadathur; Vishnu (28) alias Black, of Thazhava village; Muhammed Ashiq (27) alias Sherif, Shamnad (30) alias Shaji and Adil Muhammed (21), of Kulasekharapuram; Mohammed Faisal Khan (29) alias Kanni Faisal, of Puliyur Vanchi North and Shinu Peter (31) of Thovalakkara.A case has been registered under Sections 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (criminal acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).Police have seized the vehicles used in the attack. The arrested accused were produced in court and remanded in judicial custody. Kollam city police commissioner M Hemalatha said the suspects were tracked down through coordinated efforts of multiple police teams.“This was a well-planned retaliatory attack. Police teams quickly gathered intelligence on the accused’s movements, tracked the vehicles used to escape and intercepted the suspects across districts within hours. We will continue strong action against organised criminal gangs and ensure that those involved in such violent crimes are brought to justice,” she said.Police said Athul was attacked shortly after leaving Karunagappally police station, where he had appeared as part of his bail conditions. The assailants rammed his car with their SUV, forcing it into a roadside construction zone. They smashed the windows and attacked him with machetes and iron rods. Athul died on the spot while his friend Manu, who accompanied him, sustained serious injuries.Soon after the murder, investigation teams from district crime branch and Karunagappally police were divided into multiple groups and deployed across neighbouring districts.Within three hours of the incident, the probe was expanded to Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Idukki. Police first detained Noufal, Shamnad, Shinu Peter and Mohammed Faisal, all four directly involved in the attack.During interrogation, Noufal disclosed that the remaining accused had abandoned the SUV used in the crime and escaped in another car. Police located it in Varkala region. They later received information that the suspects had moved towards Kottayam.With assistance from Kottayam police, the suspects were intercepted near Mundakayam. On spotting police, the accused abandoned their vehicle and attempted to flee. However, officers chased them and arrested Vishnu, Aneer, Hussain and Muhammed Ashiq. The remaining accused, Adil Mohammed and Ali Ummer, were also later taken into custody from Mundakayam while attempting to escape on foot. The murder was in retaliation for the killing of local gym owner Santhosh, alias Gym Santhosh, in March 2025, in which Athul was the prime accused, police said.
