A sordid tale of betrayal, deceit and murder was exposed by a post mortem report in Govandi on Sunday. When a 32-year-old woman rushed her dead husband to the hospital on Saturday, she claimed that she had come home to find him unconscious. However, the post mortem examination confirmed that he had been stabbed to death, leading to the arrest of the woman and her paramour.
According to the Shivaji Nagar police, the deceased, Irfan Shah (35), a resident of the Bainganwadi area in Govandi, was rushed to the Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar by his wife Nazira (32) on Saturday night. Nazira was accompanied by Sadre Alam (33), and she told the doctors on duty at the hospital that she had come home to find her husband lying on the floor unconscious. The doctors examined Irfan and declared him dead before admission, and informed the Shivaji Nagar police about the incident. The police filed an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in connection with the matter and initiated investigations.
“Only one external injury was visible to Irfan's chest and the cause of death was not clear. We decided to wait for the post mortem reports before taking further action. On Sunday, the doctors at Rajawadi sent us the formal post mortem reports, in which they stated that there were two other, smaller injuries to Irfan's torso, which were hidden due to his body hair. The report further stated that all the three injuries were stab wounds and had caused his death,” senior police inspector Arjun Rajane, Shivaji Nagar police station said.
The police then picked up both Nazira and Alam for inquiries, and both of them were questioned at length. At the end of several hours of sustained questioning, the duo allegedly confessed that Irfan had been murdered.
According to the duo's confession, Nazira and Alam had been having an extra marital affair for the last two months. Alam would frequently visit the Shah residence in Irfan's absence and Irfan knew about this, which led to repeated arguments between Irfan and Nazira.
“On Saturday, Irfan went to Alam's house and had an argument with his wife over this issue. When Alam got home from work and learned about this, he was furious and went to confront Irfan. Nazira was present at home at this time. Irfan assaulted Alam in the argument that ensued and Nazira picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed Irfan in the chest,” Rajane said.
The duo then took Irfan to the hospital and tried to pass off his death as a natural one. Alam was placed under arrest late on Sunday night, while Nazira was issued a notice, asking her to present herself at the police station on Monday, as female accused can not be arrested after sundown. Nazira returned to the police station on Monday morning and was arrested as well. Both of them have been charged with murder and giving false information about an offence under the Indian Penal Code, officers said.
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