17-yr-old’s mother-in-law, spouse held for murder

MUMBAI: A day after the Kurla police detained a 17-year-old girl’s husband and mother-in-law at a time they were taking her body to the graveyard due to an alert by their neighbours, it received a post-mortem report revealing that she had been murdered by strangulation.

The husband and his mother had earlier told the police during their questioning that she had hanged herself due to depression.

The neighbours, however, claimed to the police that a foul play was suspected as she was an extrovert and spoke to others including neighbours, which was allegedly not liked by the husband and his mother. The locals who suspected the two of having done something wrong alerted the police. The police has registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and arrested the duo.

The deceased, identified as Noorjahan, married Rafiullah Khan (22) a year ago in Kurla. The young couple resided in Kurla’s Indira Nagar with Rafiullah’s family. However the marital bliss turned violent after Rafiullah started disliking Noorjahan’s peppy and talkative nature. According to police sources, the neighbours of the couple often saw Rafiullah getting violent after he saw his wife talking to the neighbours and hanging out with them in the evening to pass the time. Lately, Rafiullah had also started suspecting Noorjahan’s character, and called her names by picking fights in public.

On Friday afternoon, Rafiullah allegedly cried wolf and informed Noorjahan’s family and neighbours that she had committed suicide by hanging herself as she was battling depression. Following this news, Rafiullah and his mother Fatima, rushed to the graveyard to perform the last rites.

However suspecting something is fishy, the alert neighbours then informed the police, who caught Khan and his mother on their way to the graveyard and took the body in their custody.