Three-year-old, mom found burnt, with throats slit in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Partially burnt bodies of a 30-year-old woman and her three-year-old daughter, with their throats slit open, were found in the 10th floor flat of a 13-storey building at Mahim (E) late Thursday morning. Tehseen Sayyed’s husband Iliyas, who owns a zari unit, and elder daughter were not at home then.

Police said that around 11.30am, residents of Diamond Apartments noticed smoke in the flat and called up Tehseen’s husband as the door was locked from inside and they could not break it.


Shahu Nagar police have registered an accidental death case but are also probing if there is a murder angle. They are questioning around a dozen people, including Tehseen’s husband.

The incident took place between 10.30am and 11.30am, police said. “Our teams found two bodies in the kitchen with their throats slit open and bodies partially burnt,” said assistant commissioner of police Ajinath Satpute. The body of Tehseen was facing down, while Aalia was lying near her. Their throats were slit with a sharp weapon, police said.

A sniffer dog, fingerprint and forensic experts were called to the flat and the bodies were sent to Sion Hospital for a post-mortem in the evening.

Tehseen’s husband, Iliyas (32), has been living in the building for over two decades, while his parents are in Jhansi. After he married Tehseen, also from Jhansi, he brought her to that flat. A female neighbour told TOI, “I heard people shouting that smoke was coming out from the exhaust fan space of the flat. I saw it and later went back to my flat as many people had gathered.” Other residents said the Sayyeds were “simple” and “disciplined”, and never troubled anyone.

Shaan-e-Ali, whose wife is Iliyas’s sister, said, “I was at my Dongri home. My brother in-law, Meraj, stays in the building’s 13th floor, and he first called for help. Police have taken Iliyas for questioning. We don’t know what is happening.” He added Iliyas used to go to a shrine every Thursday before going to his zari unit at Wadala, where three to four are employed. “We gave police the DVR of the zari unit for the probe,” said Ali. He said Tehseen spoke to her mother in Jhansi around 10am. “A relative who spoke to Tehseen’s mother said that she told her mother that someone rang the door bell and that she would call back later,” said Ali. It is not clear if someone rang the door bell and who entered the flat. There are four CCTV cameras at the building’s main entrance, while one is in the elevator. Police are scanning all footage.

Ram Lakhan Nirmal, a laundry shop-owner, who had gone to collect clothes from the 10th floor, had reportedly seen the smoke. “When I went to that floor, I and another resident found smoke coming out of the flat. I informed Iliyas’s relatives on the 13th floor and came to the ground floor by the elevator,” Nirmal said.

Even as smoke continued coming out of the flat, residents failed to break open the door as it was locked from inside. They rang up Iliyas, who arrived and opened the door. Iliyas reportedly could not utter a word due to the heavy smoke. Others entered and were shocked to see the mother-daughter lying, bleeding. Iliyas later entered and started crying.