Mangaluru : Relatives of Aboobacker Siddiqui on Thursday claimed that the police have arrested the wrong person instead of the one they were looking for in connection with the 2014 communal clash in Ulaibettu. However, the police said that the person they arrested was the one they were looking for.

Talking to presspersons here on Thursday, Abdullah, Aboobacker Siddiqui’s uncle, said that the police were looking for Aboobacker Siddiqui, son of Usman. But they arrested Aboobacker Siddiqui, son of Shekabba. Mr. Abdullah further claimed that his nephew, who is in prison, told the family that the police would keep him in custody till he revealed the whereabouts of those they were actually looking for.

Mohammed Iqbal, a member of Uliabettu Nagarika Samiti, said that Aboobacker Siddiqui had accompanied a group of residents recently to meet the Police Commissioner to submit a representation against the police arresting innocent residents in connection with the Ulaibettu clash and other crimes. Police Inspector Pramod Kumar has “targeted” Aboobacker Siddiqui for filing the representation against the police, he alleged.

However, a senior police officer said that there was no mistaken identity in this case. Aboobacker Siddiqui was the person arrested by Inspector Pramod Kumar on December 7. The police said that Siddiqui was indeed involved in communal clashes in Ulaibettu. He has been accused of sexually harassing a girl and of dacoity. The police confirmed his identity and gathered evidence against Aboobacker Siddiqui before arresting him on December 7.

MLA Moideen Bava Spoke on the occasion.