Thiruvananthapuram, With the arrest of four people in Malappuram, the Kerala police on Wednesday claimed to have solved the mystery behind the murder of a Mysore-based traditional physician in 2020.

Malappuram Superintendent of Police Suchit Das told the media that Shabha Sherrief, a traditional physician treating piles in Mysore, went missing in August 2019.

"Sherrief used to treat piles using the traditional knowledge which the accused Shibin wanted to learn but was refused. Hence, in 2019, Shibin kidnapped the physician from Mysore in 2019 and brought him to Kerala where he was kept as a hostage in his house.

Sherrief was subjected to severe torture and it was on one such occasion that he died. His body was cut into pieces and thrown into the Challiyar river in October 2020," said Das.

"Three aides of Shibin also have been arrested. Though Sherrief's body cannot be retrieved, but that doesn't hamper our investigation," added Das.

The case would not have surfaced had the three close aides of Shibin not created a scare in front of the State Secretariat in the capital city on April 29 when they doused themselves in kerosene and attempted suicide.

The policemen on duty took Salim, Sakkeer and Noushad into custody and it turned out that they were upset with Shibin who was implicating them in false cases.

While in custody, the three disclosed about the murder of Sherrief.

The police also arrested Shibin and now all the four are under judicial custody.

"More people will soon be arrested," added Das.