Moradabad: Days after a 37-year-old Muslim man, Shahideen Qureshi, was brutally assaulted by a mob over allegations of cow slaughter and later succumbed to his injuries, police arrested his friend on Wednesday but have yet to apprehend any suspects in the murder case.

The attack occurred in Moradabad’s Majhola area when Qureshi and his friend, Mohammad Adnan, were allegedly seen slaughtering an ox. A mob attacked Qureshi, leaving him critically injured. Adnan reportedly fled the scene.

Majhola Station House Officer Mohit Chaudhary confirmed that two FIRs were registered in the case. “We took suo motu cognisance and registered an FIR against Qureshi and Mohammad Adnan under charges of cow slaughter. Another FIR was filed based on a complaint by Qureshi’s brother, Mohammad Shahjad, under IPC Section 302 (murder) against unidentified persons,” he said.

Despite registering the murder FIR, no arrests have been made. Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Kumar Ran Vijay Singh said investigations are ongoing. “We have not been able to arrest anybody in connection with the killing of Qureshi so far,” he said.

Following the attack, Qureshi was rushed to the Moradabad district hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries on Monday evening. His body was handed over to his family for burial.

Qureshi, a bodybuilder with a passion for fitness who had participated in various competitions, lived in the Asalatpur locality. He is survived by his wife, Rizwana, and three sons, aged 13, 11, and 9.

Rizwana expressed her anguish over the incident, questioning the mob’s actions. “Who gave them the right to take a human life over the death of an animal? What happened to my husband is cruel. He was killed before his time,” she told The Print.

While police claimed the mob did not know Qureshi’s religion, a video of the assault circulated online shows attackers shouting “Jai Shri Ram” slogans, suggesting communal undertones. The video, purportedly shared by Hindutva vigilantes, has sparked outrage.

Additional Superintendent Singh dismissed claims that the incident constituted lynching, stating, “The technical definition of lynching is if someone is killed over caste, creed, or religion. Here, the mob didn’t know his religion, so it cannot be called lynching.”

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Wayanad (PTI): Two people were arrested in connection with the death of a woman tourist in a tent collapse at a resort in this hill district, police said on Friday.

Police arrested Swachanth and Anurag, the manager and supervisor of the resort, respectively, and they charged them with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, they said.

The shocking death of the woman tourist had occurred at a resort located near a forested area in Meppadi panchayat in the wee hours of Thursday.

Nishma, a native of the neighbouring Malappuram district had died after the tent, reportedly constructed using wooden poles and thatched with grass, collapsed.

Her three friends also sustained injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, police said.

"The manager and the supervisor of the resort were taken into custody for interrogation on Thursday. Their arrests were recorded later," a police officer said.

Both of them were remanded to judicial custody till May 28, police added.