Kerala court finds 3 guilty in Mysuru healer’s murder

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| Photo Credit: REUTERS

The Additional District and Sessions Court-I, Manjeri, in Malappuram distroct of Kerala on Thursday convicted three persons in the murder of Shaba Sharif, a 60-year-old traditional healer from Rajiv Nagar, Mysuru.

Judge Thushar M. delivered a guilty verdict against Shaibin Ashraf, 37, and his accomplices Shihabudheen P., 36, and Nishad Naduthodika, 32, for homicide not amounting to murder, conspiracy and destruction of evidence. The sentencing is scheduled for Saturday (March 22).

This case stood out due to the lack of the victim’s body or remains, prompting the police to rely on scientific evidence, including DNA confirmation, to build their case and secure a conviction.

However, the prosecution was unable to prove murder, in spite of the victim having been tortured for over a year and his body dismembered and disposed of in a river.

The court acquitted nine of the accused. The seventh accused, Noushad, cooperated with the investigation by turning approver and providing crucial video evidence showing the victim being tortured.

Drug formula

Shaba Sharif was kidnapped by Shaibin Ashraf and his associates on August 2, 2019. He was held captive and tortured at Shaibin’s house at Mukkatta, Nilambur, for over a year, as they attempted to extract from him a drug formula for piles treatment. Despite the ordeal, Shaba Sharif refused to divulge the formula.

Shaba Sharif succumbed to torture on October 20, 2020. The next day, his body was butchered by Shaibin Ashraf and his associates, who then threw the remains into the Chaliyar river from Seethi Haji Bridge at Edavanna near Nilambur.

The murder went undetected for a year and a half until April 29, 2022, when three members of Shaibin’s gang, Sakeer, Noushad and Saleem, attempted self-immolation in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, seemingly to draw the authorities’ attention to the crime.

After parting ways with Shaibin, the trio broke into his Mukkatta residence and stole ₹3 lakh and a computer. The police investigated the burglary based on Shaibin’s complaint. Fearing retaliation from Shaibin, the trio attempted self-immolation in the State capital, catching the police’s attention.

Fortuitous discovery

During questioning, the trio revealed the disturbing account of the Mysuru healer’s abduction, torture and murder. This led to a fortuitous discovery for the police, uncovering a nearly two-year-old murder case. Shaibin, who had filed the burglary complaint, was exposed as the mastermind behind the crime.

The police arrested Shaibin’s wife Fasna, 28, on charges of conspiracy and destroying evidence. But the charges against her could not be proved.

The police faced a tough challenge in the case as no part of the victim’s body could be recovered, despite conducting searches in the Chaliyar river. However, the police successfully constructed a strong case against Shaibin through DNA analysis, which confirmed that a hair found in his car belonged to Shaba Sharif.