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Mangaluru: Police have arrested a murder accused who had been absconding for nearly three years and had failed to appear in court despite multiple summons. The arrest was made on Tuesday, June 30, near Pakshikere in Mulki.

The accused, identified as Mohammed Mustafa alias Musta, was wanted in connection with the 2020 murder of Abdul Latif, which occurred in broad daylight near the Mulki highway. According to police, a group of 10 individuals, including Dawood Hakim and Mohammed Mustafa, were involved in the brutal murder. A charge sheet had been filed against all the accused in the case.

Mustafa, a resident of Kemral, had been granted bail by the High Court on October 19, 2020. However, the Supreme Court cancelled his bail on April 22, 2022. Instead of surrendering, Mustafa went into hiding and allegedly used a fake passport to flee the country to Oman. Later, he re-entered India illegally via Nepal.

Based on intelligence, Mulki police traced Mustafa to Pakshikere and arrested him on June 30. He has since been produced before the court.

In addition to evading court appearances, Mustafa has been booked under multiple charges, including illegal entry into India and possession of a fake passport. A case related to the fake passport has been registered at Basavanagudi Police Station in Bengaluru, while the Mulki Police Station has filed cases for illegal border crossing and absconding from court proceedings.

Mohammed Mustafa is also involved in a total of five criminal cases, including four in Mulki and one in another district. Warrants are pending against him in two separate cases in Chikkamagaluru and Udupi districts, police sources confirmed.