The police on Tuesday said murder charges were slapped on Nasser, the owner of ‘Atlantic, the boat that overturned at Thooval Theeram in Thanur on Sunday, killing 22 people.

According to the police, Nasser kept on providing boat services to tourists despite being fully aware of the risks involved and the legal implications.

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Speaking to media persons, Malappuram SP Sujith Das said the incident has been considered a case of murder and Nasser has been booked under IPC section 302. The SP said Nasser is not cooperating with the interrogation.

Nasser, who had gone missing since the accident, was taken into custody from Elathur in Kozhikode on Monday, after the police received a tip-off that he was hiding inside a house in the area.

The police have intensified the search to arrest the boat driver Dineshan, who is still absconding.

The police have sought the technical help of Cusat to find out the age of the boat.

Meanwhile, a special police team has been constituted to probe the Thanur boat mishap. Malappuram district police chief Sujith Das S will head the team with Thanur Deputy SP V V Benny as its investigating officer. Kondotty ASP Vijay Bharat Reddy and Thanur Station House Officer Jeevan George are the other officials who are part of the team.North Zone IG Neeraj Kumar Gupta will oversee the probe.