Three convicted in Mysuru healer's murder case

A court in Kerala has found three men guilty of killing Shaba Sharif, a 60-year-old traditional healer from Mysuru. The verdict was given by Judge Thushar M. in the Additional District and Sessions Court-I, Manjeri. The three convicted are Shaibin Ashraf, 37, Shihabudheen P., 36, and Nishad Naduthodika, 32. They were charged with homicide not amounting to murder, conspiracy, and destroying evidence. Sentencing is set for Saturday, March 22. Shaba Sharif was kidnapped on August 2, 2019, by Shaibin and his accomplices. They held him captive for over a year, torturing him to extract a drug formula. Despite enduring severe torture, Sharif did not reveal the information. He died on October 20, 2020. The next day, his body was dismembered and disposed of in a river. The case gained attention due to the absence of the victim's body. Police relied heavily on scientific evidence, particularly DNA analysis, to prove their case. A key witness, Noushad, who was part of Shaibin's gang, helped investigators by providing crucial video evidence of the torture. Nine other suspects in the case were acquitted. The police initially struggled to solve the murder, which went unnoticed for a year and a half. The investigation began to unravel when three members of Shaibin's gang attempted self-immolation in Thiruvananthapuram to draw attention to the crime. When questioned, they revealed the events surrounding Sharif’s abduction, leading police to discover the grave details of the case.