Bantwal: Bantwal Rural Police who are investigating into the case of murder of autorickshaw driver Mohammad Rifai, have taken two persons  into custody for allegedly abetting the crime. Two police teams led by Bantwal Circle Inspector Belliappa and Rural SI Nagaraj have launched a dragnet to nab the killers suspected to be four in number.

Rifai, a resident of Sujeer Badigudde near Maripalla who was at the Rickshaw Park I at Farangipete was taken by the assailants on the pretext of hiring his autorickshaw and had dumped his body near a storm water drain in an isolated area near Nettarakere after killing him.

Preliminary investigations by the police had revealed that this was a killing to avenge the murder of Naushad on June 21.

The two arrested are subject to severe grilling and police have gathered through them that four persons were directly involved in the crime.

The murder of Rifai who had no criminal case against him has caused much panic among the local  autorickshaw driver’s fraternity who had even staged a protest in front of the Bantwal police station on  Sunday August 10. They had even set a 48 hour deadline to nab the killers.