The police arrested Fasna, 28, wife of Shaibin Ashraf, the main accused in the alleged murder of Mysuru’s ethnic healer Shaba Sharif at Nilambur, on Tuesday.
Fasna was arrested on charges of conspiracy and destroying evidence. She was arrested from Mepadi and brought to the Nilambur police station.
Shaibin Ashraf and his team had abducted Shaba Sharif from Rajiv Nagar, Mysuru, on August 2, 2019, and detained her for over a year at Shaibin’s house at Mukkatta near Nilambur. Sharif, a 60-year-old ethnic healer was persecuted and murdered by Shaibin and gang. They reportedly threw the body into the Chaliyar river from Seethi Haji bridge at Edavanna in October 2020.
The police stumbled upon Sharif’s murder while investigating a burglary case involving Shaibin’s gang members.
Although the police had questioned Fasna in connection with the murder a couple of times before, she was not arrested. However, the police arrested her on Tuesday after they found several discrepancies in her statements.
The police said Fasna had a role in the murder. They said Fasna knew that Sharif was detained and persecuted in a room in their house. She had not disclosed it when questioned before.
Fasna had reportedly refused to cooperate when the police summoned her to the station several times.
Fasna tried to secure an anticipatory bail when she realised that her arrest was imminent. As advised by her lawyer, she sought treatment at a private hospital, but got discharged when the police came looking for her. The police said she was trying to abscond when they caught her.
