Srinagar: A woman from Srinagar who was declared to have died due to cardiac attack a day before her marriage was actually murdered by her family, police said on Friday.
The deceased woman, Shahnaza, daughter of late Mohammad Qasim Sultan, resident of Sultan Mohalla Saida Kadal Srinagar, died on November 4, a day before her marriage. The woman’s sudden death prompted her fiancé, Nasir Hussain Kawa, son of Ghulam Hassan Kawa of Kawpora Shadipora, to suspect foul play. He approached the Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar with a complaint stating that he had apprehensions that his fiancé was murdered.
On November 13, Police Station Nigeen received directions from the CJM Srinagar to file a report in the matter. The police started investigations during which several suspects were questioned.
The police’s special team conducting the investigation came upon clues that indicated the involvement of family members of Shahnaza. During the investigation, according to police, nephew of the deceased woman, Wajid Gulzar Sultan, was put to sustained questioning. He confessed to the crime and divulged the details and the sequence of events.
According to police, Wajid revealed that he along with his uncle Mohammad Shafi Sultan and his sister, Nighat Gulzar, hatched a conspiracy to kill Shahnaza, against whom they held grudges.
“Wajid and Nighat were related as nephew and niece to the deceased while Shafi was step-brother of the deceased. The main conspirator is Shafi, who motivated Wajid and Nighat to take part in the killing of the victim,” police said on Friday.
It was revealed to police that the conspiracy to kill Shahnaza was hatched on November 3, a day before the murder.
Police said that when Shahnaza was offering Fajr prayers in the morning of November 4, her nephew, niece and step-brother entered the room and attacked her from behind and smothered her till death.
“Then they flattened and strangulated her with a golden coloured piece of cloth in order to ensure her death. Later, they tied the cloth with a fan and hung the dead body with it for giving an impression that she had hanged herself to death,” police said.
The motive of the murder, according to police, was that Shafi being the step-brother of the victim was not in a good relationship with her and would harass her on one pretext or the other.
On several instances, police said, her step-brother used to torture her. Shahnaza’s late father had kept a piece of land for her and Shafi’s eyes were on it.
“The jewellery which was brought by the family for the victim was also in Shafi’s mind. The victim was not happy with the articles, especially the jewellery, bought by her family and she had engaged in a verbal dual with the family, especially with Shafi, a day before the fateful day,” police said.
“Shafi was fed up with the behaviour of the victim. He also wanted to grab the piece of land and the jewellery. For that purpose, he persuaded Wajid and Nighat to help him in killing her. For that purpose, he promised both of them an equal share in it,” police said.
The investigations also shed light on Shafi’s conduct with the victim, who would object to his coming home drunk.
“After the disclosure of the accused and the linkage of other evidence, all of them were arrested. The article of offence was identified by the accused and recovered from their house,” police said, adding that further probe is on.

Reader correspondent