Mahmood’s Murder: Migrant worker taken home for investigative purposes

Saalim, the migrant worker who was arrested under suspicion of the murder of local businessman – Mahmood Aboobakuru – at ADh. Dhangethi, has been taken in the private residence he was living in under police custody for investigative purposes.

Witnesses who saw the scene told Sun that after taking Saalim to Nedhunge, the house he was living in, the Police had also taken a shovel and a rake inside the house as well.

As per information received to Sun, Saalim was taken to the house for investigative purposes. It is unclear as to why a shovel and a rake were taken inside the house.

Police have yet to reveal the connection between Saalim and Mahmood’s murder.

Nedhunge is a house close to where Mahmood’s body was found; approximately 100 meters away. It is also where Saalim was working as a live-in caregiver for an elderly man.

The house was searched by the Police on Saturday morning – prior to his arrest. The elderly man, as the only other occupant of the house, has been moved to another private residence.

A Dhangethi resident who spoke to Sun said the Police searched the house in response to multiple reports of a suspicious noise being heard from the house on the night Mahmood disappeared. 

The Police are also conducting active searches at other locations at Dhangethi in connection to the murder – to recover further evidence.

Mahmood was found murdered during a search for him – after having been declared missing. He was last seen alive on Wednesday night. Dhangethi residents commenced an island-wide search at 10:00 am on Thursday morning. His body was discovered during the search at around 15:15 in the afternoon – inside a water well at an abandoned house; bound and stuffed inside a sack.

The Police have yet to confirm the exact cause of death. However, some individuals who saw his body reports seeing repeated blows to his head and neck with a sharp object.

Mahmood is an entrepreneur involved in the business of staple foods and gas, in addition to being an owner of a café and a boat. 

Dhangethi residents claim he carried around large amounts of cash always due to his businesses – alleging him to have been murdered in a robbery gone wrong.

Shortly after he was found murdered, residents took the law into their own hands to hand over two men who they believed to the murderers to the police. Subsequently, the two men were granted police protection.

Later, a woman who is related to the two individuals was also granted police protection.

Although they were not under arrest initially – the Police later on confirmed that they were arrested in connection to a separate case.

Following this, the three were escorted out of Dhangethi on Friday – under protective custody of the Police. No evidence has been uncovered linking the three to Mahmood’s murder as of yet.

In a surprising turn of events, the Police announced the arrest of a male migrant worker from Dhangethi, Saalim, in connection to Mahmood’s murder on Saturday.  

When presented before the court for his remand hearing – Saalim was remanded in police custody for 15 days.

Saalim is the first arrest to be made in connection to the case.