A 32-year-old woman and her two-year-old daughter were found murdered in their Mahim house on Thursday morning. The police are questioning her husband.
According to the Shahu Nagar police, residents of the 10th floor of Diamond Apartments in Mahim came out of their flats after noticing smoke fill the floor. The smoke was found to be coming from the residence of Sayed Ilias Hussain. When repeated knocking and ringing of the doorbell did not elicit any response, the residents broke the door down.
An officer with the Shahu Nagar police station said, “The neighbours rushed into the house to find Mr. Hussain’s wife Tehseen and daughter Aaliya lying in a pool of blood. Both their bodies were on fire. While dousing the fire, they noticed that the knobs of the cooking gas stove were open. They shut the valves and called the police control room.”
The officer said a team was rushed to the spot and the bodies were rushed to Sion Hospital, where they were declared dead before admission. Doctors at the hospital told the police that both Tehseen and Aaliya’s throats were slit, which is believed to have been the primary cause of death.
Mr. Hussain, who was at work, was informed about the incident and he reached his house within half an hour. The police said Mr. Hussain ran a zari workshop and went to Dongri every Thursday for work.
The officer said, “Tehseen’s mother told us that she was speaking to her on the phone at 10 a.m. when the doorbell rang. Tehseen told her that Mr. Hussain must have returned from Dongri and hung up. We are questioning Mr. Hussain regarding his movements on Thursday.” Another officer said that a few family members alleged that the couple’s relationship had strained after Mr. Hussain started getting close to a female relative. The police said that this relative was being questioned.
The police are also speaking to other residents of the building to find out whether they saw anyone enter the Hussain residence at 10 a.m. Closed Circuit Television cameras are also being examined for clues.
The police have registered a case of murder and attempted destruction of evidence against unknown persons under the Indian Penal Code. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone V) Vikram Deshmane said, “Inquiries are under way in the case and we can not comment any further at this stage.”