30-year-old woman killed for deciding to re-marry

In a case bearing resemblance to honour killings elsewhere in the country, a 30-year-old woman was killed by relatives for deciding to re-marry. Shabana Khan, a resident of Shivaji Nagar, Govandi, was strangulated in the wee hours of Monday. The police arrested the suspects on Tuesday.

According to the police, Shabana, a mother of two, had reportedly separated from her husband a few years ago. She had planned to get married to a person named Ali. “Her cousins were not happy about her decision,’’ B Pardeshi, inspector of the Shivaji Nagar police station said.

“On Sunday, she had gone out and returned home at around 11.30pm. The suspects entered her house a little after midnight by opening the lock with a duplicate key. They strangulated Shabana with a rope and left the spot immediately,” a police officer from Shivaji Nagar police station said.

Her ten-year-old daughter woke up on hearing the commotion and saw the suspects fleeing. “She immediately raised an alarm and alerted the neighbours, who rushed Khan to a nearby hospital,” the officer said. Khan was declared dead before admission.

The Shivaji Nagar police got into action immediately, and a thorough investigation over the next 24-hours revealed that two of Khan’s cousins were involved in the crime and they had sought help from two others.

“Those arrested have been identified as Maqsood Baig alias Vicky, 24, Mohammad Amir Khan, 18, Mohammad Moid Khan, 18, and Akhtar Ali, 20,” the officer said. Primary investigation indicates that they were against Shabana’s decision to re-marry.

According to police, the deceased, a resident of Lotus colony in Govandi, had separated from her husband a few years ago. She had four children out of the wedlock. After separation two children stayed with her while the other two went with the husband.