MThe Malpe police have arrested three persons in connection with the murder of 52-year-old Saifuddin, the owner of AKMS Transport, which operated private buses, at Kodavoor in Udupi on Saturday.The accused have been identified as Mohammed Faizal Khan, 27, of Badagabettu village of Udupi taluk, Mohammed Sharief, 37, of Shivalli village of Udupi taluk, and Abdul Shukoor, 43, of Katipalla in Mangaluru taluk.Faizal Khan was a driver in AKMS transport and confidant of Saifuddin, the victim.On Saturday morning, Saifuddin and Faizal Khan went in a car from the former’s house in Manipal to his second house in Kodavoor, where Faizal Khan joined Sharief and Shukoor and hacked Saifuddin to death, the police said.Sharief and Shukoor, also drivers in the AKMS transport, were among the five accused, along with Saifuddin, who were booked in connection with the murder of a bar owner Vashist Satyaranarayana Yadav in Malpe on February 13, 2020.The duo were said to be unhappy with Saifuddin, as he did not financially support them and their family members when they were in judicial custody following their arrest in the murder case, the police said.Saifuddin was accused in 18 criminal cases, including two murders.A team headed by Malpe Circle inspector Ramachandra Nayak arrested the three persons on Saturday. They were produced before the jurisdictional magistrate, who remanded the trio in judicial custody on Sunday, the police said. Published - September 28, 2025 08:33 pm IST