Ranchi: Sheikh Bilal — the key accused in the Ormanjhi case in which a naked and headless body of a woman was found at Jeerabar forest in the outskirts of the city on January 3 and subsequent probe revealed that the victim was his second wife — had planned to kill Sufia Parveen when he was imprisoned in a case lodged under the Arms Act, police said on Friday.
Bilal, who was arrested from Kutte village on Thursday after absconding for days, often had tiffs with the victim and the latter had filed a case against him under Section 498 of the IPC at Pithoria police station in May last year, SSP Surindra Jha said. “Investigation into the case led to the recovery of arms and ammunition from his house in Chandwe village, following which a case was registered against him under the Arms Act and sent to jail,” he added. “The complaint angered him and he killed her out of revenge,” he said. “He first strangulated her and then severed her head. Materials used in her murder, including a sharp weapon and an iron rod, have been seized,” he added.
Jha said that the victim also had frequent tiffs with Bilal’s first wife Sabo Khatun, who also colluded with him in killing Sufia. Khatun, who was absconding along with her children, was arrested earlier following a tip-off. Upon interrogation, she confessed to her crime and provided information which led to the recovery of Sufia’s head and the iron rod used for burying it in an agriculture plot near Bilal’s house.
Jha said that under the guidance of senior police officers, the special investigation team worked tirelessly for more than 10 days to crack the case.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand DGP M V Rao said the police headquarters would reward the investigating officers in the case.
Rao also said that those who had spread false information on social media and tried to defame the police following the incident will be questioned. He said, “Whenever a woman’s body is found some people start claiming that she has been raped. Police should be given a reasonable amount of time to inquiry before jumping to such conclusions.”