Escaped after murdering Fazila; accused Sanoof arrested in Chennai

KOZHIKODE: Thrissur native Abdul Sanoof, who is the accused in the murder of Fazila at a lodge in Eranjipalam, has been arrested in Chennai. Police took Sanoop into custody from a hotel in Avadi, Chennai. Fazila (33), a native of Thelakkad in Vettathur in Malappuram, was found dead in a private lodge on Tuesday. After killing the woman, Abdul Sanoof, who was with her, fled. The reason for the murder is not clear. The post-mortem report stated that Fazila was murdered by suffocation.

The police had launched an extensive search for Sanoof in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on the assumption that he may have entered neighbouring states. Meanwhile, the accused was arrested from Chennai. Sanoop and Fazila took a room in the lodge around 11 pm last Sunday. They took the room for three days. The woman was found dead when the staff checked the room on Tuesday morning. The room was locked from the outside. According to the employees, Sanoop was at the lodge on Monday. He then left the lodge saying that he wanted to withdraw money.

Later, the police contacted the phone number given by Sanoof while taking the room but found that the number was not working. The car in which he was travelling was found abandoned near a school in Chakkanthara in Palakkad on Tuesday night. Fazila had earlier filed a rape case against Sanoop. It is suspected that this enmity may be the reason for the murder. Fazila has been divorced twice. She met Sanoop while the divorce case was going on.