Delhi: Man stabs mom-in-law, pregnant wife

NEW DELHI: A family quarrel took a deadly turn when a 23-year-old man stabbed his pregnant wife and mother-in-law in northwest Delhi’s Keshavpuram on Thursday evening. While Sadiya (50) died on the spot, the condition of her daughter Shaista (20) is critical. The accused, Afroz, is absconding.
DCP (northwest) Aslam Khan said that a murder case has been registered against Afroz, who got married to Shaista 10 months back. The incident happened near the SDM office in Keshavpuram. A preliminary probe revealed that Afroz, who works as a daily wage labourer and lives in the nearby slums, got into an argument with his wife, who is three months pregnant. As the heated discussion continued and Sadiya too joined in, Afroz threatened to kill her. Soon, a scuffle ensued during which Afroz grabbed a kitchen knife, stabbed his wife and mother-in-law with it and fled.

Both the women were taken to a nearby hospital where Sadiya was declared dead on arrival, while Shaista was admitted to the ICU in a critical condition. Police are waiting for her condition to improve to record her statement and find the exact motive behind the assault.

Officers are scanning the CCTV footage of the area to ascertain the escape route taken by the accused. They are also questioning the neighbours to obtain more information about the couple. Some of the neighbours said that the man was pressurising his wife for a divorce, as he suspected her of being involved in an illicit relationship. Apparently the couple used to fight over this issue frequently.

In a bid to resolve the differences between them, Shaista’s mother came to stay with them for a few days.