Pune: Sibling and Sister-in-Law Arrested for Brutal Murder Over Property Dispute

Pune, 31st August 2024: The Pune Police have unraveled the gruesome mystery behind the decapitation and disposal of a woman’s body in the riverbed of Kharadi last week. The shocking incident, which has sent ripples of horror throughout the city, involved a brother and his wife who murdered his sister over a property dispute.

The victim has been identified as Sakina Abdul Khan, 48, a resident of Bhayyawadi, Shivajinagar. The suspects in the case are her brother, Ashfaq Abdul Khan, 51, and his wife, Hamida, 45, both of whom have been arrested.

According to preliminary investigations, the motive behind the crime was a long-standing dispute over the ownership of the family’s residential property. The house, built in Sakina’s name by their parents, became the focal point of frequent altercations between Sakina and her brother’s family. Ashfaq and Hamida, who worked as laborers, allegedly strangled Sakina with a rope during one of these disputes.

Following the murder on August 23rd, the couple allegedly dismembered Sakina’s body, disposing of the parts in the river at Kharadi on August 25th. The torso of the victim was found in the riverbed on August 29th, but her head and limbs are yet to be recovered. Police are conducting a DNA test to confirm that the remains belong to Sakina.

The case took a turn when Sakina’s niece filed a missing person report on August 30th at the Shivajinagar Police Station. This led the police to focus their investigation on her immediate family. Ashfaq, initially giving evasive answers, eventually confessed to the crime after being confronted with evidence.

The investigation was led by Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar and Joint Commissioner of Police Ranjan Kumar Sharma, alongside a dedicated team from Chandannagar Police Station and the Crime Branch. The police had earlier announced a reward of INR 2 lakh for information about the unidentified woman, whose identity was difficult to establish due to the missing head.

The investigation is ongoing, with several critical questions still unanswered: Where was the body kept for two days? How did the couple transport the dismembered body parts from Shivajinagar to Kharadi? Did they have any accomplices? The police have placed the accused in custody and are actively pursuing leads to uncover more details about this heinous crime.