AIMIM leader Toufeeq Shaikh was arrested in the murder case of a Congress leader | Photo Credit: Times Now

Solapur: In a shocking development, AIMIM leader Toufeeq Shaikh was arrested on Monday on the charges of murdering Congress leader Reshma Padekanur on May 17. Shaikh had been absconding from May 17 after Padekanur’s body was found under the Korti-Kolhar bridge in Vijayapura.

Following the discovery of Padekanur’s body last month, the Congress leader’s husband had blamed Shaikh for being responsible for the murder. During the police probe, it was established that one of the last calls on Padekanur’s phone was to Shaikh.

Prior to her murder, on April 17, Padekanur had reportedly lodged a molestation complaint against Shaikh. Police suspect that the molestation case could have provoked the AIMIM leader to murder Padekanur.

Padekanur, 35-year-old, was the vice-president of Karnataka Congress' women's wing. Her body was found under the bridge last month with her face and hands battered.

In a complaint filed at Kolhar police station, her husband Khaja Bandenawaj Padekanur claimed that Shaikh had murdered his wife after she had repeatedly asked him to repay a loan of Rs 13 lakhs that she had given to him two years ago.

"Shaikh was furious about the police case and plotted her murder. He suggested discussing the matter at her house on the outskirts of the city on National Highway 50. He took her there in his Innova,” the victim’s husband claimed in the complaint.

Reshma was previously with the Janata Dal (Secular) before joining the Congress in 2018. She had served as the district unit women's wing of the JD(S) for several years. She had quit the party after she was denied ticket.

