The Shahu Nagar police on Friday claimed to have solved the murder of Mahim resident Tehseen Sayed and her daughter Aliya with the arrest of her husband and his mistress.
Tehseen (34) and Aaliya (2) were found with their throats slit in their 10th floor residence in Diamond Apartments on Thursday morning. The police registered an FIR and started questioning Tehseen’s husband Ilias (38).
“Inquiries established that Mr. Ilias and Tehseen had a troubled marriage as he was having an affair with his friend Afreen Bano Sayed, and this was the motive behind the murder,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Central region) Ravindra Shisve said.
Mr. Shisve said on Thursday morning, Mr. Ilias left home around 9.20 a.m. saying he was going to work. But he returned at 10 a.m. and slit the throats of his wife and daughter. After leaving, he sent Ms. Afreen to the house to execute the next part of his plan. “Ms. Afreen entered the building wearing a burqa and went to the Sayed residence, after which she poured kerosene on both the bodies and set them on fire. She also sent a text message from Tehseen’s cell phone to Mr. Ilias which said, hum jaa rahe hain (we are going), love you, in an attempt to pass off the murder as a suicide,” Mr. Shisve said.
Sources said the needle of suspicion was first pointed towards Mr. Ilias after Tehseen’s relatives told the police about his affair. The police then questioned both the accused separately and together about their movements on Thursday morning and also traced their movements by mapping their cellular locations. The duo finally confessed and were arrested on Friday morning.
The duo have been charged with murder and attempted destructions of evidence under the Indian Penal Code. The police are investigating to find out whether the murder was planned or a recent fight between Mr. Ilias and Tehseen triggered it.
