Police on Friday arrested a senior citizen and his wife, who drove away their daughter-in-law from their house after their son living in the US sent talaq message to his wife on WhatsApp.
The Moghalpura police of South zone arrested Mohammed Hafeez and his wife Athiya on charge of assaulting and outraging the modesty of their daughter-in-law Mehren Noor. The couple were presented before a court and remanded in judicial custody. Hafeez has four sons. Eldest of them, Abdul Sohail and Mohd. Abdul Aqueel, live in New York and work with a private company. “A few days ago, Aqueel had sent a text message on WhatsApp to his wife Noor stating talaq thrice,” South zone DCP V. Satyanarayana told The Hindu.
Hafeez and Athiya told Ms. Noor, who is pregnant now, that she was no longer their daughter-in-law since their son Aqueel had given divorce to her through triple talaq. But Ms. Noor objected to it and refused to leave the house.
Her in-laws, however, forcibly evicted her from the house two days ago. Protesting their action, Ms. Noor staged a dharna in the cellar of her in-laws' building. Angered over this, Hafeez and Athiya allegedly assaulted her and outraged her modesty, the DCP said. When the police went to their house after Ms. Noor lodged a complaint, the couple said they would not allow the woman inside. “While that was to be decided by the court, we arrested them for the alleged attack on their daughter-in-law,” Mr. Satyanarayana said. The DCP said that the couple had already evicted their eldest son Sohail’s wife Heena Fathima after he too had sent her divorce papers. “It seems Sohail sent the papers through a court. But Fathima claimed that she didn't receive any such papers. She has two children with Sohail,” according to the DCP. Ms. Fathima had lodged a complaint with the police and a criminal case was registered but the investigation could not be carried out as her husband was abroad.
