Kurla police have arrested 34-year-old Mohammed Usman Sheikh on the charge of murdering his wife, Noorjahan. Reportedly, Mohammed was assisted by his mother and two sisters in killing Noorjahan, because she could not conceive since the past 11 years of their married life.

The victim, Noorjahan, was residing with her husband, mother-in-law Hashmi Begum, two sisters-in-law, Nasreen (24) and Hasiba (30), at Fitwala Compound in Kurla (West). Since Noorjahan could not conceive, Mohammed was tinkering with the idea of marrying again. However, Noorjahan opposed this, though her in-laws thought otherwise. On April 28, the Sheikhs reportedly registered a case at Kurla police station where they stated that Noorjahan had committed suicide. However a postmortem revealed that the victim was actually strangulated. She was also gagged, hit by a blunt instrument on the head, and sprayed with kerosene in an attempt to make it look like suicide, informed the police.

Armed robbery

Three unidentified men armed with choppers and revolvers looted gold worth Rs 22,000 from Saki Naka on April 30. One of the robbers was nabbed by the neighbours after the victims shouted for help. According to the police, the trio forced their entry in the house of Narendra Soni at Radhabai Sadan, Saki Naka, at around 9.30 pm on Wednesday. Threatening the family members with the weapons that they possessed, the three snatched the gold chain from Soni and her mother. But when the three started running away, the Sonis started shouting. Listening to the screams of the Sonis, the neighbours chased the three robbers and managed to nab Virendra Sharma, who was later arrested by the Saki Naka police. The other two robbers, however, managed to flee under the cover of darkness.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.