The mystery behind the brutal murder of a 41-year-old woman in the Rising City area of Ghatkopar East has been solved, with police arresting a neighbouring auto-rickshaw driver for the crime. Investigations revealed that the woman was murdered following a dispute over money lent.
The deceased has been identified as Ameenabi Siddiqui, a resident of K.T.-9 building in Rising City, where she lived with her family. The accused, Mohammad Irfan alias Chand Fakrealam Ansari (42), an auto-rickshaw driver, resides with his wife in the adjacent K.T.-8 building.
According to police, on the night of December 24, around 10 pm, Ameenabi stepped out of her house after dinner for her routine walk. When she failed to return home for a long time, her family lodged a missing complaint at the Pantnagar Police Station.
On the morning of December 25, Ameenabi’s body was found lying in a pool of blood in bushes outside the K.T.-9 building. Preliminary investigation confirmed that her throat had been slit with a sharp weapon.
Taking the seriousness of the crime into account, 15 police teams were formed under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 7) Hemrajsingh Rajput to trace the culprit. Based on CCTV footage, technical analysis and human intelligence, the police zeroed in on the accused and detained him on Monday night.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime. Police said the victim had lent ₹3 lakh to the accused’s wife. Angered over the non-repayment of the amount, the accused allegedly kept a watch on the woman and murdered her in a premeditated manner.
Pantnagar Police have registered a case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and are producing the accused before the court. Further investigation is underway, said Senior Police Inspector Lata Sutar.