Twin murder: Three more held

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More persons allegedly involved in the twin murder of notorious criminal Kokkode Shyam and his accomplice Praveen at Aramkal landed in the custody of the police on Friday.Those arrested have been identified as Ratheesh, alias Motta Ratheesh, 23, of Darshan Lane; Sachu, 22, of Chakkalamukku; and Rajeev 25, of Sree Nagar in Vettikonam. The three have been arraigned as fifth, twelfth and ninth accused in the case.The police said that among the arrested, Ratheesh had been hiding in Kozhikode district and the other two in Kollam. All of them were arrested when they returned to Vettikonam on Friday based on a tip-off.The police have also recovered the weapons, including a country sword and the crash guard of a motorcycle, that were used by the culprits to commit the murder from a deserted piece of land near their houses at Vettikonam.With these arrests, 11 out of the 12 wanted in the case have landed in the custody of the police. The only one who is on the run is the fourth accused, Lalu. The prime accused in the case, Prince, was arrested on Wednesday. All those arrested earlier are presently in judicial custody.Ratheesh, Sachu and Rajeev will be produced before the court on Saturday, said the police.It was on the night of October 5 that the gang had hacked Praveen and Shyam to death owing to personal rivalry.