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Killer of Mysuru healer suspect in UAE murders
Antony was suspected to have been murdered in Abu Dhabi along with her employer T P Harris (45) by Ashraf and his gang members. Earlier, Harris’s body was also exhumed from a burial ground in Kunnamangalam (Kozhikode) andsent for forensic examination
Months after accused Shaibin Ashraf, along with five members of his gang, was arrested in connection with Mysuru traditional healer Shaba Shareef’s murder, the special investigation team (SIT) also probing Ashraf’s role in a twin murder case, on Thursday exhumed the body of one of the victims.
The twin murders were reported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) two years ago. Police on Thursday exhumed the body of Densi Antony (37), from the morgue of St Joseph’s churchinChalakudy (Thrissur) and sent her mortal remains for forensic examination in Thrissur medical college hospital.
Antony was suspected to have been murdered in Abu Dhabi along with her employer T P Harris (45) by Ashraf and his gang members. Earlier, Harris’s body was also exhumed from a burial ground in Kunnamangalam (Kozhikode) andsent for forensic examination. A senior official of the SIT said results for both deaths will be available in a month.
Harris who was Ashraf’s former business associate was found dead with his wrist slit and Antony was suffocated to death at Harris’s flat. The UAE police had concluded that it was a “suicide pact” and that Harris had killed Antony before committing suicide .A month after Antony’s death, her body was brought to the country and buried.
The murder angle into the two deaths came to the light when the SIT was investigating Shareef’s case, said officials in the know of the development. Shareef was abducted from Mysuru in 2019 and killed a year later.
After Kerala police arrested Ashraf and his gang members in connection with the healer’s murder in May, Harris’s mother filed a police complaint seeking a probe into his death.
Last week, the SIT had approached a court in Thrissur to seek permission to exhume Antony’s mortal remains. Earlier, her family members were told that Antony, a mother of three, had died in an accident, said police. Later they were informed that she died of cardiac arrest.
“Initially we did suspect some foul play in her death but since we had no evidence we brushed it aside. Her mother Rosily was told about the murder only a few days back after police arrived at their house to take her statement,” said one of Antony’s relatives T Varkey.
The SIT official said during investigation they came across a blue print prepared to eliminate the two.
According to the SIT, Ashraf had allegedly engaged eight people who were sent to the UAE on visit visa in 2020. Ashraf allegedly arranged a flat for them in the same apartment where Harris stayed, the SIT probe stated. Four people allegedly involved in the murder of the healer were also involved in the twin murder, SIT found.
While probing the arrested accused, they confessed before the SIT that they became friendly with Harris. On the day of crime, the accused confined Harris in his flat and summoned his manager. They said before killing Harris, he was forced to suffocate Antony — who passed out — to get his finger prints on her body. The accused told the SIT that they tortured Harris, slit his wrist, after which he bled to death. Later, the accused again suffocated Antony to death with her shawl, they told the SIT.
The SIT also stated that Ashraf was monitoring everything from his house in Wayanad, north Kerala.
In April, Ashraf’s gang members — Shihabuddin, M Nousahd and Zakeer — tried to immolate themselves before the state secretariat alleging that they were hounded by Ashraf. Later, they were overpowered by police and while in custody they confessed about the healer’s killing and handed over a pen drive which carried his “torture sessions.”The pen drive also had information on some conversations there were references on how a twin murder case was converted as “smart suicide.”
Two weeks back, a retired sub-inspector of police S Surendran, who was a close aide of Ashraf, surrendered before a court in Idukki after evading arrest for four months. Police suspect that Surendran helped Ashraf and could have also been a conspirator in some of the murders. During probe, the SIT also found that Surendran had gone on foreign trips in last five years.
