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In a bizarre case, a husband strangled his alcoholic wife after a late night argument and later tampered with the crime scene to make it look like a suicide. However, his deceit was exposed after the police spoke to the couple’s five-year-old daughter told and she told them about the murder.

The accused is on the run. Officials from Borivli police station said Muzaffar Rehman Sheikh (35) and his wife Muslima had shifted to Mumbai four years ago in search of work.

The construction site in Borivli where Muzaffar and Muslima Sheikh worked and resided with their 5-year-old daughter.

The couple was working as daily wage labourers at a construction site near Prabodhankar Thackeray Natyamandir and resided in one of the unfinished flats with their daughter. Cops said Muzaffar was fed up of Muslima’s alcoholism, which led to daily quarrels between the couple.

The incident
After finishing the day’s work, Muslima went about her daily ritual of consuming alcohol. This didn’t go down well with Muzaffar, and the couple started quarrelling around 1 am yesterday. But this time their quarrel took an ugly turn and Muzaffar strangled Muslima with his bare hands in a fit of rage.

Upon realising that he had killed Muslima, Muzaffar decided to conceal his crime by ensuring that the scene looked as if his wife had committed suicide. He then carefully wrapped a dupatta around Muslima’s neck and hung her body from the ceiling.

In the morning, Muzaffar called the police control room and informed them about the ‘suicide’ before fleeing the construction site. After filing an initial Accidental Death Report (ADR), the Borivli cops sent Muslima’s body for post-mortem to Bhagwati Hospital.

Indicating foul play, the autopsy report revealed that Muslima had strangulation marks on her throat and that she was dead before her body was hung from the ceiling. Based on this report, cops started their investigation afresh.

Also Read: Husband murders wife, dumps body in garbage bin, files missing complaint

It was while speaking to the couple’s daughter that Muzaffar’s crime came to light. The five-year told the police that she saw her father squeeze her mother’s throat and then hang her from the ceiling.

Cop speak
Police Sub-Inspector Kamat from Borivli police station said, “Initially, we had lodged an ADR. But once the autopsy report revealed foul play, we re-investigated the case and have now booked the husband under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC.

He is on the run. Since the couple originally hails from Kolkata, a team will soon be despatched to their hometown for further investigation and nab the accused if he is hiding there.”