A Kerala-registered Toyota Innova car, which was purportedly used to cause the accident on the flyover by the assailants before the murder, was found abandoned near a village in the neighbouring Vitla police limits on the day of the murder.

“We have identified the entire network involved in the crime. All the assailants have been identified. They belong to the same community as the victim,” a senior police officer said. The murder is prima facie linked to a rivalry, and arrests would reveal the motive, the officer added.

“We are having enough clues and are following up closely. The only thing is that the accused are continuously moving,” the police officer further said. Some suspects who are part of the conspiracy, apart from the assailants, have also been identified, the police said.

Following the murder, the teenage son of Hussain filed a police complaint. The complaint named Hussain’s rival, Rifath Ali, as one of the possible suspects.

Hussain, who was involved in the fish business at the Mangalore dock, had nine criminal cases against him in the last two decades and was previously on the rowdy list in Mangaluru.