Ten held in connection with murder of man over interfaith relationship in Karnataka

Belagavi (Karnataka) [India], October 9 : Belagavi Police has arrested 10 people in connection with the murder of Arbaz Mulla allegedly over his interfaith relationship, said Belagavi Superintendent of Police, Laxman Nimbargi, on Friday.
The accused have been identified as Pundalika (39), Eerappa (54), Susheela Eerappa (42)Kuthubuddin Allahbaksh (36), Maruthi Prahlad (30), Manjunath Thukaram (25), Ganapathi Jnaneshwara (27), Prashanth Kallappa (28), Praveen Shankar (28) and Shridhar Mahadeva Doni (31).
A complaint was lodged by the deceased's mother Najeema Ahmed on September 29, 2021, at Belagavi police station after his son went missing.
According to the complainant, her son Arbaz Mulla was in love with a woman named Shweta, a resident of Khanapur, said the police.
"Their alleged relationship came to the notice of the parents of Shweta. They warned Arbaz to stay away from their daughter. Arbaz family relocated to Belagavi, but he was in touch with Shweta over the phone. Subsequently, Arbaz and Najeema were threatened with dire consequences if he continued his relationship with Shweta," the Superintendent of Police said.
"On September 28, Pundalika allegedly called up Arbaz Mullah and asked him to come to Khanapur to settle the issue of the relationship. However, Pundalika and others took Mulla near the railway tracks. They killed him and mutilated his body to make it seem like a train had run over him," he added.
"It has been revealed in the investigation that the parents of Shweta i.e. Eerappa and Susheela Eerappa gave money to Pundalika to kill Arbaz," Nimbargi said.