Bollywood actress Nargis Fakhri's sister, Aliya Fakhri, 43, has been arrested in Queens, New York, for allegedly killing her ex-boyfriend, Edward Jacobs, 35, and his friend, Anastasia 'Star' Ettienne, 33. According to The Daily News, Aliya reportedly set a two-story garage on fire in an apparent fit of jealousy, resulting in their deaths. District Attorney Melinda Katz stated, "This defendant maliciously ended the lives of two people by setting a fire that trapped a man and woman in a raging inferno. The victims tragically died from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries."
While Nargis Fakhri has not commented on the incident, her mother defended Aliya, claiming, "I don’t think she would be killing someone. She was a person who cared for everybody. She tried to help everyone." She further explained that Aliya’s behavior might have been influenced by opioid use following a dental issue.
A witness at the scene described the events: "We smelled something sweet burning. I don’t know if it was gasoline or what. We ran out, and the couch on the stairs was on fire. We had to jump over it to escape. Star jumped with me but went back in to save [Jacobs]. It was an abusive relationship. She had told everyone before that she was going to burn his house down and kill him, but we just laughed at her." Edward Jacobs' mother revealed that he and Aliya had ended their relationship a year earlier, but Aliya continued to pursue him. Jacobs, a plumber, had been working to convert the garage into an apartment. She clarified that Jacobs and Ettienne were friends, not lovers.
Speaking about Nargis Fakhri, after working as a model in America, Fakhri came to prominence in India with the 2011 romantic drama film Rockstar. She subsequently played a war correspondent in the political thriller Madras Cafe (2013), and starred in the commercially successful comedies Main Tera Hero (2014), Spy (2015) and Housefull 3 (2016). Spy was a Hollywood production.